Leave it all on the Floor
by katiecav
Summary: AH. Full summary inside. The gang are dancers. When E&B meet there's instant chemistry but what will they do when they realize they are both teachers at the same school? Will they act on it? Will Bella teach Edward to leave it all on the floor?
1. Club Hype

**A/N: Alright so first...I don't own Twilight. ****Second I need to thank my amazing Beta inkedupmom. You're amazing babe! ****Next this is a dance fic so there will be music and some videos that I'll link you to to help you understand what I'm talking about**

**All of that being said the songs used in this chapter are… (Pick a club song) I used Kesha's Tick Tock, followed by David Guretta's Sexy Chick, then Jason Derulo's In My Head, which I'm absolutely obsessed with by the way…anyway…so here's Edward**

Chapter 1- club Hype

The music in the club was almost at an unbearable decibel. He would never understand how his sister came out to places like this almost every other night. The only way she had dragged him out tonight was the fact that it was her birthday. He hated going out, it seemed like a chore.

It hadn't always been that way. He'd once been as much the life of the party as Allie was, but he had changed now, grown he'd like to think. He no longer appreciated the desperate girls that threw themselves in his direction. That wasn't the root of it though. He no longer felt for them at all. He used to be a red blooded male and acted as such, but he hadn't felt the need to do so in a long time. Being callously dumped will do that to a man. He made a decision that he would stay out long enough to be polite and then bail.

It wasn't as if Alice would really notice that he'd left, she wasn't even up here. She had all but drug him out of the house to leave him stuck at the bar with his brother while she and Rosalie danced. Well they had enough of waiting and they moved down from their table to the dance floor. He scanned the crowd looking for his sister and sister-in-law as the music changed, the announcer saying it was time for a dance challenge.

A circle formed pushing them to the side. A blond dancer began showing off some moves in the middle of the floor to the beat of _Sexy Chick_. He was tolerable, nothing out of the ordinary as far as Edward thought. Edward had never really been impressed with the moves of the average club dancers. They rarely had skill, just rhythm. The dancer then stopped in front of three women, Rose and Alice, and a third Edward didn't know, dancing for only them. She was a petite brunette, a beautiful petite brunette he might add. Her figure was sublime. Not overly curvaceous but fit and lean. She was awfully covered up for a regular at a club. She was in black from head to toe, though her pants were tight enough not to leave much to the imagination and encouraged wandering eyes. And Edward's eyes did wander.

From the toes of her black Reeboks, up the slim muscles of her legs, to nice firm buttocks, his gaze slipped over a black leather jacket that followed the arch of her back and lead to the sensuous shape of her neck. She was pale perfection, he was sure of it. He moved his gaze to her eyes as she stepped forward to seemingly accepting the challenge. She stood there with her hands on her hips watching him for a few minutes as the song continued and the dancer continued his dance. Her eyes were dark and narrow as she watched the man dance. He couldn't tell from here what their actual color was but they showed no fear or sign of backing down, only confidence.

Slowly, she unzipped the jacket to the drum beat when the song changed again to Jason Derulo's _In My Head. _The tight fitting blue shirt was enough to throw the dancer off for a minute as he watched her. She started to sway to the music and moved toward the man she'd left staring dumbly at her. He staggered back as she pushed him forcibly out of the circle when the line "Ain't gonna find it dancing with him" came up. She did a few more moves before she turned around and threw her jacket at Alice and winked and the girls cheered her on as she moved into the center and the DJ spoke over the song before the chorus hit in, "It's gonna get hot in here."

Edward wasn't sure what he expected but it wasn't what he saw. She was so fluid in her movements with superb isolation and control. He was sure she had everyone, well every male, mesmerized by the sway of her hips and movements and he was no exception. He wondered if she was a dancer, if that was how she knew Alice and Rose, if that was how she learned to dance like that.

He was surprised by the second verse to find her looking at him as she danced. He looked back keeping eye contact with her deep brown eyes. He found himself tapping his feet along to the beat of the music imagining what he would do if he had her in his arms. By the second chorus she motioned for him to join her and without even realizing it, he had followed her command. He hadn't danced in a club in a long time, but this woman's presence seemed to make him remember how to move. The touch of her hands as they ghosted his shoulders put him into action. They danced back and forth, him chasing after her through the remainder of the chorus until the bridge when she broke away. He danced on his own for a few moments while she flirted around the perimeter of the circle until he reached for her and pulled her back to join him when it slowed. He liked the feel of her body against his; she was as muscular as he suspected. Her face showed surprise for a moment but that quickly changed to a sly sexy smile. It had been a while since he held a woman this close. He found himself relying now on the beat and his dance background. He threw in some tango moves along with a few other ballroom dance moves and was surprised when she followed with several of her own, moving from tango to paso doble to cha cha without so much as a blink of the eye. This woman was a real surprise. She seemed to know her stuff as he spun her around the floor and as the song ended she did a final dip and back flip before he pulled her into his arms again, her feet raised now behind her.

He always thought the expression "to get lost in someone's eyes" was a gross exaggeration, but he was doing exactly that. Who would have thought brown eyes could have such depth. They were both breathing heavily by now, her breath falling across his face mixing with his. He wanted to close the distance and press his lips to hers wondering if they were as soft as they looked. The crowd cheered them on and the sound of the DJ's chuckle and announcement of them killing it brought them out of their heavy breathing stare.

She smiled again as he released her waist and she slid down to the floor. "Thanks for the dance," she whispered to him, her voice as sexy as her dancing as she walked away backward until she reached Alice. She grabbed her jacket, kissed his sister on the cheek, and then disappeared into the crowd leaving him wondering who the hell she was and when he was going to see her again. Wait, did he want to see her again?

**End notes: Okay what do you think?**


	2. First Day

**A/N: Okay response was good so far…I figured I'll give you guys a few chapters and then see if you still really like it. Now we hear from Bella for the first time.**

_She felt his hands on her. They were strong hands attached to a handsome man. She didn't know what had made her chose him out of the crowd. She had felt a unexplainable pull in his direction. She certainly hadn't known that he could dance. That was just an added bonus. And that man could dance! It had been a while since she had done some of those moves. When he threw in the ballroom steps she decided that she would test him a little. He was a surprise that was for sure. He seemed to follow her switches perfectly. Was there anything wrong with him? She couldn't find a fault that was for sure. Not when she could feel his solid body against hers. In her mind that's where she was now. Having just finished their incredible dance. His warm, strong hands holding her against him. Their faces were so close that she could taste his breath on her tongue as she looked into his sparkling green eyes silently begging for him to close that distance and kiss her. She watched as his eyes darkened and he began leaning in closer and closer…Beep. Beep._

What is that noise…?

_Beep. Beep…Beep. Beep…Beep. Beep._

She reached over and slammed her hand down on the off button on her alarm clock and groaned. Gah! Foiled again! On Friday it had been her own conscience that made her pull away before she could feel his lips on hers, but now it haunted her in her dreams for three nights. Each night there was a different interruption. Saturday morning it was Alice calling to make sure that I got home safely. Sunday morning it was Jake calling to check in, now the alarm clock. She couldn't catch a break, at least not where a certain hunky green eyed stranger was concerned.

Today was Monday though and it was a new beginning for her. She had been lucky to get this job. She didn't want to be an instant disappointment by being late. She hadn't been up this early since _she _left the academy. Most of her rehearsals had been in the afternoon and she had been able to sleep blissfully until about ten. No more of that. Nope she was up at the ungodly hour of six in the morning. Worst part of becoming a teacher, she realized, was waking up early. Coffee, she needed coffee, she decided. She headed down to the kitchen and thanked the makers of automatic coffee machines as she poured herself a cup and doctored it up with milk. She had cut the sugar out of it since her early years. She guessed it was true that as you age you get more health conscience. Not that 25 was too _old_ for anything other than ballet or figure skating, but still she had to be more careful than she used to be.

She wasn't an extremist when it came to her diet. She still enjoy hearty meals and the occasional cheeseburger, after all, dancing burns a lot of calories, right? She sunk down on her sofa and let the caffeine sink into her system. By the time she had finished her cup of coffee and had fully woken up she had to rush slightly to get ready.

She showered quickly pulling all of her hair up into a high bun with practiced precision and stepped into a leotard and white tights. It wasn't really required that she wear them as a teacher, but she would be demonstrating a lot in class for the first few weeks any way and it would feel weird to dance with out them. She was also planning on doing her own dance workout during her free periods so she added a black practice skirt that hit to about her knees and flowed freely enough to help her with movement in her routines and an off the shoulder white sweater that she could wear around the school. She hopped that she looked like a teacher and not like another student. She slipped into her flats and grabbed her bag that she had loaded the night before and walked out the door eating a granola bar. After a brief stop at her neighbors house she walked her way to the academy a few blocks away.

It was 8:00 on the dot when she turned the knob and entered one of the ballet rooms in the Academy. If there was anything that studying dance had taught her it was the importance of punctuality. She didn't look up but she could feel all the eyes in the room following her as she shut the door and walked to the front and dropped her bag by a chair. Some of the girls were whispering back and forth looking at her with wide eyes. They had kept it under wraps who was taking over this part of the program. It was clear that at least some of the girls knew exactly who she was. She let them murmur while she set things up. She walked over to the nice stereo system and plugged in her i-pod through the adapter she had brought and adjusted the volume. Finally she turned to face her students.

"Hello," she smiled at the young faces in front of her. The girls had automatically formed lines in front of her. Waiting for instruction, eager. Had it been so long ago that she was that young? Had that much of a future ahead of her? Well now wasn't the time to think of such things that's for certain. "Some of you probably realize that I am not Madame Carmen. She will not be with the Academy in a teaching position any longer, she is taking indefinite pregnancy leave, but wishes you all the best and says she can't wait to see you all perform at the end of the year." Bella took a deep breath, "some of you may also know who I am. For those of you that don't, my name is Bella Swan and I will taking over teaching ballet here for Madame. I want to go ahead and say this now, I know that Carmen wanted you to call her Madame, but please refrain from doing so with me. It makes me feel more ancient than I am."

There were a few scattered giggles from some of the girls, but they were quickly stifled. "It's okay to laugh ladies it was a joke." The laughter was louder this time. "Good." Bella Smiled, "we'll work on it." She clapped her hands and walked toward the girls. "Please call me Bella or Miss Swan if you are not comfortable with the informality. Secondly…this isn't going to be like most Ballet classes that you have taken. You ladies are in an advanced class and will be treated as such. We won't be spending much time on form unless I find that it is required. I'm available for individual help in the evenings and will be happy to give any of you a hand with whatever you have problems with. We'll be starting in on routines by the end of next week, however, that's not what today is about," she said taking a seat in one of the chairs that lined the wall by the mirror. "I want to get to know you girls." She gestured to the space in front of her "Take a seat." The girls looked confused at first before relaxing and smiling all taking seats around. Bella began her introduction of herself, telling them a little of her dance experience and education and then listened to all the girls in their turn. Most of the girls had been at the academy for over a year now with the exception of one. A girl who was new to the school. Bella would have to keep an eye on her. Finally after discussing the rules and the basic time-line for the class, she dismissed them a full fifteen minutes early.

Bella didn't have a class in the next hour and half so she stripped off her sweater and changed into her shoes, deciding to work on some choreography. She quickly ran through her stretches and then went over to her I-pod and selected her song. As it piped through the speakers she closed her eyes and moved with the music. Letting the piano and strings into her heart and allowing it to lead her legs and feet.

Bella was a firm believer in dancing with your heart. For her a dancer was a performer first and an artist second. Each requiring great skill, but more so, they required passion and heart. Ever since she was little, dancing had been an escape for Bella. She had needed something to put her heart into when her world was falling around her. She still needed it. Dance was something she understood. Dance was her true north. A place where she could center herself and lay her heart out on the floor.

She stopped and scooped up the remote she had laid nearby and began it again, trying a different section of introduction movements. She repeated this for the next hour, placing different moves in different places until she finally was able to make it through the song without stopping. Bella was so focused on what she was doing that she didn't even realize that she had an audience until she stopped satisfied with what she had just accomplished. She jumped when she heard clapping from behind her. Her head snapped up and her eyes met someone's in the mirror.

**End notes: Who do you think it is?**


	3. Bronze

**A/N: Okay here it is chapter three :-) No major dance scenes in this chapter but I promise soon we will get there. Hang in there with me.**

**Again I don't own them I just like to turn them human and make them dance.**

Bella turned around in surprise. Leaning on the far wall was a man who was about average height. His long blonde hair was pulled back from his head in a sleek pony tail. Bella didn't know who he was or why he was there, but the predatory glint in his eyes was making her uncomfortable. He pushed off the wall and moved toward her slowly. _"A predator stalking it's pray," _She thought.

"So you're the new teacher that Mr. Cullen hired without informing the board," his voice was as smooth as his walk.

"_As smooth as a snake," _Bella thought but instead she asked, "I'm sorry…you are?"

"Forgive me. My name is James Carter." He had reached her by now. He held out a hand for her to shake. She did so with reserve. She should have listened to her instincts, because instead of releasing her hand when propriety would have said to release it. "You are even more beautiful up close." Bella finally managed to yank her hand away and take a step back from him.

"Thank you."

Mr. Carter took another step toward her lessening the gap between them once more. "I had the privilege of seeing you dance in New York. When I heard that Carlisle had hired a Ms. Swan I needed to see for myself it was the same beautiful swan I saw before."

"Why thank you Mr. Carter," she smiled taking another step back.

Apparently Mr. Carter couldn't take the hint because he advanced on her once more. "Please call me James. I'm on the board here at the academy with my father. We like to work closely with the instructors," he leaned in toward her as he said that and she leaned away but found herself trapped by the mirrors behind her. His face was too close to her own as he spoke again, "very closely."

Bella was wracking her brain with something to say or do. He said he worked on the board this would require more subtly than a knee to the crotch, though James hadn't taken any of the hints she had been giving for him to back off. Fortunately she heard a distinct clearing of the throat before she had a chance to do anything.. "James." A stern male voice said. James jerked away from Bella and she relaxed against the mirrors as she saw both Carlisle and Alice standing in the doorway with another blonde haired man.

"I've seen you met Miss Swan, James," Carlisle said. There was a harshness in his tone as he strode toward Bella with his visitor and Alice in his wake. Carlisle's tone changed considerably as he addressed her, "Bella, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. John Carter, a member of the board." Carlisle took Bella by the hand and led her away from James. He gave her hand a reasuring squeeze and she couldn't help but smile at him and squeeze back. "John, meet our new star teacher Miss Bella Swan." Bella immediately felt the blush spread across her cheeks.

"I've only just started Mr. Cullen surely I'm not a star yet," she said laughing plastering on a smile, calling on that ability to fake ease and comfort. A skill that she had learned during many an American Ballet dinner. "Mr. Carter," She extended a hand toward the older gentleman, who had a little gray mixed in his blonde hair. "It's a pleasure." The gentleman accepted her hand and shook it lightly.

"The pleasure is all mine Miss Swan." As uncomfortable as his son had made her feel, Bella felt nothing but ease from the older gentleman. He smiled warmly at her. "I can't wait until I see this year's showcase. With you on the faculty it should be a good one."

Her smile was a more genuine one this time, "Well I hope I meet the expectations, Mr. Carter."

"I'm sure you will." He pat her hand once before dropping his hold on it. "Unfortunately we have to leave now for a meeting. It was a pleasure meeting you Ms. Swan." He gave Bella another smile. "James," he addressed his son who leered in Bella's direction as he left behind Carlisle and his father.

When the door to the studio closed Alice, who had been unusually quite, ran up to her and threw her arms around her. "God, I'm sorry Bella. I had no idea that our resident creeper was here or I would have come to you immediately. I was in Dad's office when John came in without James. I thought that he'd left the weasel at home this time, but no he said that he had wondered off by himself and I just knew…" Alice said in a rush of breath.

"Alice its fine," Bella said shaking her head and maneuvering herself out of Alice's grasp. She sunk into her chair and took a swig of her water, deciding she might as well leave her shoes on as her next class was for first years and dealt with technique. "Yeah he was creepy, but…I've dealt with creepy before. I lived in New York remember?"

Alice ignored her question completely, "Let me make it up to you. Come to lunch with me." That sounded good, Bella hadn't had much time with her friend since she moved here. "Rose will be there and I can introduce you to everyone else." There went her quiet catch up lunch with her friend. "Please." Alice begged.

Bella groaned. She had never been able to say no to Alice, not since they met in New York. She seriously doubted that anyone had ever said no to Alice Cullen. She sighed and stood back up abandoning her water by the chair, "Okay. What time?"

Alice clapped and squealed then she settled. "When are you done with class?"

Bella began her stretches again. "I have a good size break after my 11:00 class, so I should be able to do it by 12:30."

"That's perfect. I'll meet you here and walk you over to the café how does that sound?"

"Sounds great Alice."

Then Alice's small body collided with hers again as she enveloped her in another huge hug. "God I'm so glad you're here." Bella chuckled and hugged her friend back.

"I'm glad I'm here too Ali." With her friend holding her tightly she didn't feel so alone.

"Hey. Are you ready to go?" Alice asked poking her head into the room as Bella was pulling on her flats.

"Just about," she replied throwing her water into her tote and getting up. "Now I'm ready," she said with a smile at her friend.

"Good," Alice looped her arm through Bella's as they left the school. Bella looked around self-consciously outside. "Don't worry he's long gone," Alice assured her.

"Oh. I wasn't…" Bella tried to explain.

"It's okay I understand completely. He's a creepy guy. I'll not leave you alone with him again. I promise. Tell you what, let's just forget about him and have a good lunch."

Bella sighed, "Sounds perfect." After a few steps of comfortable silence when Alice pulled her up short. "Alice, What…" Bella tried to ask but before she could get the whole question out Alice reached up to her hair.

"I swear. I remember the whole ballet thing requires for your hair to be up, but really…" She pulled out the pins that held the bun in place, but Bella smacked her hands away before she could pull her hair out of its pony tail. "What?" She asked defensively.

"It's hard enough to get up when it's wet, it's impossible when it's dry," Bella tried to explain, smacking away the pixie's hands when she tried again.

Alice sighed defeated, "Fine. That is a little better."

"Why does it matter what my hair looks like?" Bella asked as she was more or less dragged down the sidewalk, but she received no answer from her friend. Who knew why Alice did the things she did? It was easier just to accept them and go on, but Bella had a sinking suspicion that her friend was up to something. She had that look in her eyes, that mischievous tinker bell look and Bella didn't like it one bit.

Alice was Bella's confidant and had been for years, even why they were apart from each other. Alice had been the only one that she had told about the dreams she'd had since that day at the club. She had hoped that Alice could give her some insight to who it was that she'd danced with, but she'd received only that look. So if Alice knew who had been the co-star of her nightly exploits, she wasn't telling.

After a getting back in rhythm with her friends quick step Bella spoke again, "So, who's going to be there?"

"Well besides you and me, Rose and her boyfriend Emmett are coming by, and...my brother."

Bella cocked her head with a smile, "Oh I meet the elusive, but favorite, Edward today huh?"

Alice giggled, "He's not the favorite. He just thinks he is," Alice said quickly. "And he doesn't mean to be elusive, he just has an issue when it comes to gatherings of a social nature." Bella laughed at her friends explanation. "He is a really great guy, and he's my brother so you're bound to like him."

"Alice…I don't know what you're thinking…but stop," Bella tried to sound severe but she didn't quite manage it. She was more amused by Alice than anything. Besides maybe Alice's brother would help distract Bella from a pair of green eyes that stared in her dreams.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Bella. I wasn't thinking anything…only that you'll love the food they have here." Alice didn't quite pull off the innocent act that she was attempting. Bella just rolled her eyes and let it go as her friend lead her to the restaurant.

There was a group of three people outside waiting. Bella could spot Rosalie as one of the ones facing her. Bella met Rose only the week before when Alice brought her along for girls night. Bella and Rose had gotten along just fine pretty much from the start. Rose was a real no nonsense kind of person and Bella liked her for it. Rose was a fellow dancer. She and Alice both taught lyrical contemporary dance at the academy. The hulking man that she was hanging onto could only be Alice's cousin, Emmett McCarty, a Cullen in everything but name apparently. He had moved in with Carlisle and Esme when his parents were in an accident and passed away. He had a head of dark curls and a smile on his face as he pulled Rose in closer to him, for some odd reason he looked a little familiar, but Bella couldn't place where she had seen him before.

With the others all identified, that left the back that was turned to her to belong to Edward. Edward Cullen was the only member of the immediate Cullen family that Bella had never met before. Edward taught ballroom and Latin dance at the Academy and mostly in the late afternoon and early evening, so he and Bella had never once crossed paths. He had a dancer's body that was certain. Alice had also told her that he used to compete in both division but hadn't in a few years. As her gaze traveled up past his shoulders to the back of his head she felt her steps falter slightly.

Bronze.

His hair was bronze…like Green Eyes' hair was bronze. How common was that? She had thought it amazingly unique at the time, but maybe she had been wrong. 'Please let me have been wrong.' She thought. It _had_ to just be a coincidence.

They were a few feet away now. Rose waved and Emmett smiled politely in their direction. The man with his back to her turned and the air left her lungs in a rush as she looked into his green eyes. 

**End notes: **** I know…I know… I couldn't help it another cliffie. Please don't hurt me. The only sure way to get the chapter sooner is to review it makes me **_**want**_** to write and that's good for you. So please Review!**


	4. Small Worlds

**A/N: Hey y'all how are you? I finished this chapter at like two in the morning this morning because I didn't want to stop writing before I finished it. Next week is the last week before finals week so that equals me being super stressed with having to pack all of my stuff up to move. So I don't know if I'll be able to get another chapter done in a week, but I'll try. One of my betas dubbed me the cliffy queen hopefully this will appease both her and you :-) **

**Super thanks to Team Leave it ****inkedupmom and babylopez2008 for being my bad ass beta's and thanks to LadyTazz7 for prereading and pimping me out on her site. I love you long time babes.**

**As usual i don't own them :-(**

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Edward loved his sister dearly but she was beyond infuriating sometimes. She had been beyond vague when he had asked her about the girl from the club. In fact, he would definitely qualify her behavior as evasion of the subject. He just wished that _he_ could evade the thoughts that had plagued him all weekend. He hadn't stopped thinking of that mystery woman since she had left him on the dance floor. He wasn't plagued with thoughts of his failure in competitions like he had been for the last three years, he wasn't seeing the partner he had all those years ago; no, he kept seeing _her_ retreating form in his mind.

Every brunette he saw, he felt this insane hope that it would be her. He knew that it was a hopeless situation. It was highly possible that Alice really didn't know what he was talking about, that Alice hadn't known the woman and had only held her coat. It was highly probable that he would never see her again. Why was it that his chest got tight just thinking that? Why did it come with a great since of loss? He was in desperate need of a distraction, so when Alice had asked him to meet up before he went to the Academy for something to eat he had agreed. Edward glanced at his watch. Alice was late. So here he stood with Rose and Emmett outside of the cafe waiting for his sister and the new ballet instructor Ms. Swan.

Edward didn't know why Alice hadn't told him this. He wasn't really good at meeting new people outside of the classroom. He'd heard about this woman for months and he wanted to make a good impression. Alice was so excited that she had talked her friend into coming to Seattle to teach. The Academy had been strapped when Carmen had called us to say she wouldn't be able to return this year because of her unplanned pregnancy. They were thrilled for her and her husband, but also worried about filling the position with so little time.

When Ms. Swan's résumé had crossed the desk, it had been decided that day. She had an impressive background that included formal training at one of the best dance schools in the country and had a long stint with the American Ballet. From what he understood though, she had dropped off the dancing map a year ago only to surface here in Washington state of all places. Though he had never seen Ms. Swan personally, he had been well versed on how lovely she was by Alice and his father. Surely she wasn't as lovely as his brunette beauty but perhaps she could distract him for some time. A second later he saw Rose's smile widen and she waved. Emmett turned to see who she was waving at and did the same, causing Edward to turn around to see who they were so happy to see.

His eyes fell first on his sister but then traveled quickly to the woman that she had her arm linked with. There she was. His brunette beauty.

Have ever seen in the movies when everything slows down around the main characters at the precise moment when something monumental happens and the only thing that speeds is their heartbeat? Well this wasn't like that, except for maybe the heartbeat. He couldn't speak for the woman, but his was beating a hundred miles a minute as they approached way too quickly. Edward couldn't think properly. At that moment the only thing that was going through his mind was that his sister was going to definitely get a piece of his mind later, but that was later. Right now he couldn't think of anything but not making a fool of himself in front of this beautiful creature. Several questions crossed his mind as they stood in front of him. What if she doesn't remember him? What if it hadn't been a big deal for her? Did he completely make up the connection they had on the dance floor? Maybe that why she had disappeared without a word. But he was certain of one thing, he wasn't letting her leave him in the dust a second time.

Her wide brown eyes locked with his green ones and he heard her sharp exhale before Alice finally spoke. "Edward, I'd like you to meet my friend Bella. Bella, this is my brother Edward."

"Oh, they've met," Emmett commented from behind. Emmett had heard enough about this petite brunette for the last three days that there was no way that he wouldn't also remember the encounter. A delightful blush spread across Bella's cheeks at Emmett's words. Did that mean that she remembered their meeting as well? Edward didn't even spare his cousin a glance. He was focused on the girl he'd resigned himself to never seeing again. The woman that he'd danced with at the club, the woman who'd been the star of some pretty amazing dreams for the last few days.

God, she was even more beautiful in the light of day. Of course it was Seattle so the sun wasn't exactly out, but it was brighter than in the club and he could see her properly now. He studied her from the top of her head to the black flats that she wore. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek pony tail exposing her gorgeous neck again and a bright open face. She had the most expressive eyes he had ever seen and they were paired with the most sensuous mouth he had ever laid eyes on. He wanted to lean forward and kiss those lips and find out if they tasted as sweet as they looked. He forced his gaze south and he took notice of the black leotard that was peeking out from the white, off the shoulder sweater. She was still clad in her white tights but wore a black skirt that hit above the knee to show how long her legs were. His fingers twitched at his side remembering the way her body felt to him as they danced. God, he wanted to touch her again.

Beautiful, she was beyond beautiful. He thought about her name. _Bella_. He rolled the word around in his mind. Bella Swan. Fitting that her name should mean so close to what she is, beautiful. He didn't know how long they stood there just looking at each other. He was vaguely aware of the others talking around them, but to him they all sounded like the adults in the old Charlie Brown cartoons. He was completely enamored with the woman in front of him. He had wondered what it would be like talking to her. He had only heard her say a few words in the club, and those had been in a harsh almost drowned out whisper. Now he had his chance. He wanted to tell her that the way that they'd danced together had been something special to him and that he'd never experienced anything like it before. He wanted to know so much about her. Like how she learned to dance like that? He was still stuck on the fact that he knew who she was now. He had a name to put with the face, a face that…he would see all the time at the academy…that thought brought him up short for a minute. It was as if something just clicked. His beauty, the woman that he wanted to know so badly, was the new Ballet instructor…oh this could cause some problems.

He couldn't get involved with a teacher at his parents academy. No. He'd done that once and look where it had gotten him. Bella being an instructor meant that she would have to be off limits.

"Yeah Ali, we've met," Bella said to his sister. Her voice as sexy as he'd remembered it from the club. "It's nice to meet you officially." She stepped forward and extended her hand. Edward took it in his and felt the warmth of electricity shoot through his veins and pool suddenly in his groin.

He pulled away quickly and gave her a strained smile. He excused himself quickly and headed to the bathroom of the restaurant before anyone could say anything. He closed the door and locked it behind him. He buried his hands in his hair and tried to take a few deep breaths to calm himself but it wasn't working. She was so close now and every fantasy that he'd been having for the past three nights began flashing before his eyes. None of them helped the current straining in his jeans. What was he, seventeen? He was about two seconds away from having to jerk off in a restaurant bathroom, God! He placed his hands on the sink feeling the cold ceramic against his heated skin. He leaned his weight on them and looked at himself in the mirror. He had to come to grips with this and quickly. His family and Bella were waiting out there. He didn't even want to imagine how deranged he looked fleeing to the bathroom like that. He wondered briefly what Bella had thought of his actions. No he couldn't think about her like that, she would just be another colleague at work. Nothing more. She had to be off limits! Now if only he could convince his libido that it was for the best.

* * *

**End notes: See that chapter sort of resolved itself...right? Anyway tell me what you all thought. Leave me some review love! Oh I might leave a teaser for the next chapter on the forum so you should go and check it out ;-)**


	5. Friendly Surprises

**A/N: Hola, Bonjour…or any other ways to say hello. OMG am I the only one excited about the new season of So You Think You Can Dance! I'm super pumped. Plus it's going to give me so much more material to use. Yea! Anyway…So this chapter is still sort of setting things up a little and we get to meet some people's favorite twilight character in this chapter…that's all I'm sayin…I'll see you at the end.**

"What the hell was his problem?" Rose voiced Bella's thoughts out loud as the whole group stared after Edward's quickly retreating form.

"I'm sorry Bella." Alice said still watching her brother's back.

"It's not a big deal." Bella said trying to placate her friend, but in truth the snub hurt more than it should. Bella couldn't figure out what she had done to offend him so much. It wasn't her breath she didn't smell sweaty…so what was it? She knew she wasn't much to look at; some considered her plain but was she so bad that he couldn't even stand to be in her presence. He didn't have a problem with having his hands on her in the club now he wouldn't even shake her hand more than once. Maybe she was imagining the spark she thought she had felt in the club. Well she would have to deal with him. Maybe she had imagined that thrill of electricity she felt just now. Maybe he was just like every other jackass guy she had ever met before. But he was a Cullen and, like it or not, they would see each other, but he apparently hated her for some unknown reason. She sighed. _God I can't deal with this right now._ She thought to herself. _I don't have time to worry about him. It's time I worry about me a little right?_ Right. She answered mentally, but it still bothered her that she didn't even know what she'd done. She had to concentrate on meeting her fellow Ballet instructors and finishing the rest of the first week of school. "I think I'm just going to grab a salad and go back to the studio." Bella said interrupting the ongoing conversation between the three others.

"No…you can't." Alice pleaded with her. "Is this because of Edward?" she asked indicating the way that he had left us.

"No. I have too much to do right now. I forgot I had a meeting this afternoon with Peter and Charlotte." Bella lied. She hadn't forgotten about the meeting, but suddenly she could see her way out and she was going to take it. "Plus I'm meeting my Pas de deux partner today, and I have choreography I have to work on for the end of the week…" The excuses tumbled from her now. Eating lunch in the studio wouldn't kill her plus she could find a rehearsal space to work for a while. She was used to eating alone. Hell she was used to being alone period. There was no real reason to stay and make everyone else uncomfortable. "Besides…it's probably for the best." Bella smiled as best as she could while touching Alice's shoulder.

"I thought he would like meeting you again." Alice said clearly upset by her brother's actions.

"You're not infallible you know Ali." Bella replied.

"Besides you know Edward has PMS. He's the sensitive artist type. No fears little sis. He'll get over it." Emmett said trying to be helpful but not really succeeding, because he was surrounded by those sensitive artist types.

Bella tried her best to smile brightly as she turned to Emmett. She would have to make an effort to get to know him. He sounded like an okay guy. "It was nice to meet you Emmett. Hopefully we meet again soon." He smiled back at her, his dimples showing adorably in his face.

"I hope so too Bella." With that Bella gave Rose and Alice a hug ordered her salad to go from the deli attached to the café and walked back the way she had just came.

Finished with lunch Bella headed to one of the studios to meet Peter and Charlotte and her Ballet partner for her _Pas de deux_ class. Carlisle had told her that they would be splitting the pairs classes this year between the two older instructors and the two newer ones. She had yet to meet the other new boy's instructor. Hopefully he would have a good since of time and they would be able to talk a little before the two seasoned instructors got there. She was still very early though. She knew that no one would be in here so she set her iPod in the dock and set to work for a little, her choreography was pretty good but it could use some clean up. She closed her eyes and let the music move her. She had always been a lyrical dancer at heart. She wanted to tell a story with her movement, she wanted to engage an audience and she saw no reason why she couldn't show her contemporary class that you could do that in pointe shoes. She danced with her eyes closed just listening to the music, feeling the movement through her body. She was so into the music she didn't realize that she had an audience.

"Well Hells Bells! Who said that you weren't company material again?" She heard a familiar voice call from the room she stopped her pirouette short and spun to where the voice. Surely she wasn't imagining what she had just heard. Why all of sudden, would she think of him? Sure enough, he was there. He was in his dance gear, his dark black hair tied back, white t-shirt contrasting drastically with his dark russet skin, and his gray sweatpants that were probably covering tights underneath.

"Jake!" She exclaimed under her breath

"I see you're as observant as ever Swan, and they're letting you be a teacher. Help us all." He joked from his spot leaning on the far wall. She didn't know how long he had been there, but at that point she didn't care. She launched herself at him throwing her arms around his neck and burring her face in his broad shoulder. He chuckled a little at her enthusiasm but tightened his grip on her picking her up easily swinging her around in a circle. It was just like they were at the academy again. How many times had he done this? Spun her around until she forgot why she was upset. With Jake it was easy to be happy. That's why he was always one of her best friends.

A friend she thought she had lost when the Academy told her there was no longer a place for her there. She had seen the look on his face though, when the director made it a point to embarrass her in front of the entire company. He was the only one there who made a move to comfort her when it happened. All of her so called 'friends' just stood there, but Jake would have come if it hadn't been for me. The director had said if he stepped out of line he would be out too. It was Jakes first chance to be lead in a production; Bella wouldn't let him risk it. The fact that he was willing to risk it though gave her the strength she needed. She had held back her tears and held her head high as she walked right up to the director, smacked him and left the theatre without a second glance back. Jake and she had been e-mailing. He was curious why she had slapped the director in the face but she wouldn't tell him. Something's he didn't need to know, after all. She didn't want to dirty the image of a man that Jake looked up to. Now though the past didn't matter. He was here in Seattle, not New York, Seattle.

Her day had been awful. Sure the classes had gone okay, but first with James and then with Edward she needed to be distracted. Jake was always sunny and his disposition was contagious. She laughed and threw her head back and smiled. She could have sworn she saw a shock of bronze hair pass the window as she looked, but for right now she wouldn't worry about it. Finally he stopped spinning her and placed her on the ground and she wobbling slightly as he did so he kept his arms around her until she was steady. Jake was here…he was really here. Maybe the fates finally thought she deserved some good luck. She knew one thing was certain though. Jake would keep her safe, he would help her deal with everything, he always had. She smiled up at him and he smiled down at her. "_Everything might be fine after all."_ She thought.

**End notes: Yes we met Jacob…I fully admit to not **_**really**_** being a team Jacob person…don't send out the people with the pitchforks though please…I have no problem with you team Jacob people…really I'd take any of them…I like Seth though…he's single…I feel bad about claiming the others…that's off topic…but in your review tell me what team your on and I'll see what I can do in the future to help you all out a little…also schools almost over with so irregular posting should be done with soon aren't you all excited about that? I knew you would be…so please send me a review I would greatly appreciate it. And just an FYI for those of you that might be concerned there will be more detail on dances in the future chapters but right now I'm setting up the major plot points. See you next time TTFN! It might be sooner than you think…**


	6. Breakthroughs

**A/N: I have to say that I woke up at like midnight and just started writing. You guys get to reap the benefits of my insomnia what can I say. Oh yeah! See you at the end. **

By the time that he had calmed himself enough to leave the bathroom, the group had made its way to the table. However, she wasn't there any longer. Had he completely imagined her existence again? He didn't know if the answer should relieve him or not.

"What the hell Edward?" Alice asked as he approached the table.

"What do you mean Alice?" He asked his sister as he took the empty chair across from her.

"You know damn well what I mean," she replied heatedly her blue-gray eyes blazing in his direction. "She's my best friend. The least you could have been was polite."

"Well Alice, you did keep her identity a secret from him when he asked…" Emmett tried to cut in but stopped when her gaze turned to him.

"Bella's not had it easy in the past few months. She's a little fragile and basically all alone in a different city…"

"Alice…" Edward warned his sister softly.

Alice sighed and turned toward her menu. Edward thought it would be the end of the conversation and began looking over his menu as well. "She asked about you too you know." Alice's voice called his attention back.

"She did?" Edward asked before thinking about it. As soon as the words left his mouth he knew how it had sounded.

Alice smiled in victory having got his attention again. "You impressed her. That's not easy to do. And you two had a connection." Edward's brow furrowed. If Alice had seen a connection then he couldn't have imagined it. "It's about time too after..."

"Alice just let it be," Rose, who'd been unusually quiet, finally chimed in.

Alice looked remorseful and Edward knew precisely what or more importantly who she was about to bring up before Rose stopped her. The topic wasn't revisited while they ate. That didn't stop him from thinking about it though. He hadn't had a connection like that in years. His appetite was suddenly gone and he ended up leaving early.

Edward was distracted by music when he made it to the floor where his room was located. He followed the sound only because he recognized the song. He stared in astonishment through the window of the door.

There she was again, as beautiful as ever but different. Her eyes were closed as she was moving to the music. It wasn't just her confidence in her movement, but something else that he couldn't identify. Her extension and fluidity were mesmerizing. He could watch her all day. Just then, she whirled in his direction, her eyes wide in surprise. He had just enough time to duck back before she could spy him watching her. He returned his attention inside the room again when he heard her laughter and saw her in the arms of another man. He was spinning her around in his arms and she was happy. The smile lit up her entire face. That face would be burned in his memory forever, that and the sudden ache he felt in his chest.

He had to get away. He couldn't stand there and spy on her like a stalker. Hadn't he decided that he was just going to leave her alone? Then what was that feeling he just had? Why did it feel like he had just been punched in the gut and stabbed in the chest at the same time? He needed to put as many steps between himself and Bella Swan as possible. With that thought, he turned and walked away.

That worked for a little over a week.

He hadn't talked to her or gone to lunch with the group once in seven days. He was purposely avoiding them and they knew it. But to her credit, Bella never called him out on his behavior. Whenever he was near her, she kept her distance from him and hadn't spoken directly to him since that day outside the cafe. He couldn't really help finding out more about her though, as she was the topic of conversation everywhere.

Everyone was in love with her. She was the Academy sweetheart. She was sweet tempered, kind and dedicated. Taking over for a seasoned instructor meant taking on more than any normal first year teacher would, but according to all sources she was dealing fabulously. Every girl wanted to be her and every guy wanted to be with her, and for some odd reason that rubbed Edward the wrong way. He would, on more than one occasion, over hear conversations by his _students_ on the 'totally doable new teach'. It nearly made his blood boil and he couldn't explain it.

It was Saturday and he had decided to come and finish up some work since the place was usually abandoned. He needed to take his mind off the images of Bella that had been reoccurring on a more regular basis now. As he was heading toward his room he heard something that made him halt his steps at the window of another room. There was Bella crumpled on the floor, her shoulders shaking with sobs that wracked her body.

Edward's first thought was that she'd gotten hurt. He quickly pushed the door open and went to her. He knelt down on the floor and regarded her carefully. "Bella, are you okay?" he asked quietly.

She looked up surprised and even a little scared by his presence. He didn't know what to make of that. Her face was tear-stained and her big brown eyes were still full of unshed tears. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Seeing if you're okay." His hands fluttered uselessly around her, not knowing what really to do. "Are you hurt? Do you need me to get you to the doctor?"

"No," she sniffled wiping at her face, "I'm not hurt. I'm fine."

"You're crying," he stated. _"Nice Edward state the obvious," _he berated himself mentally.

"I fine," she tried to assure him once more.

"Bella…"

"It's not physical okay?" she cut him off before he could argue. She turned her face from him and he found himself reaching out to her. He felt a familiar tingle where her cheek was resting in his palm as he wiped away her tears with his thumb. Was it just his imagination or was she actually leaning into his touch? Her eyes slipped closed and he took the opportunity to take in her features up close. Her beauty was so natural and effortless. Her skin was soft and warm under his palm, it's silkiness just invited him to touch more.

"_What are you doing?"_ he asked himself. He dropped his hands back down and she opened her eyes.

She regarded him carefully before she spoke again. "Why are you being nice to me?"

He was slightly taken aback by her question. "What do you mean?" he asked her.

She looked away as she explained, "Well…you hate me…why are you being nice to me?"

"I don't…" He couldn't honestly finish that sentence though. He had been acting like he hated her, but he didn't hate Bella, not really. He hated the fact that every time he saw her he couldn't stop thinking about the feeling when they danced. He hated that she invaded every dream, but he couldn't hate _her_. "Bella, no one could hate you."

She looked over at him then. Her eyes though still watery held disbelief first and then anger. "Don't lie to me." Her voice was harsher than he had ever heard. Then she looked away again and suddenly he understood. Someone had lied to her. Someone had hurt her…

He reached out for her again. He managed to say her name and try to touch her arm before she interrupted him. "I'm sorry," she said suddenly standing with the grace that only a dancer could, breaking away from him.

"For what?" he asked confused.

"For…well for a lot of things," she said before she grabbed her bags and left him there in the studio room staring after her as she left him behind yet again.

Ever since Saturday he hadn't been able to stop looking at her, watching her. He began to notice so much about her on his own. He noticed how she would chew on her bottom lip while she was concentrating and how she would order food that would make normal ballerinas cringe. How she was the most accident prone dancer he had ever met before in his life and how endearing he found that trait. He wondered though if he was the only one who noticed the sadness that never really left her eyes. She would try her best to mask it with a smile, but whatever it was that had made her break down before, must never be far from her mind. Who would have the gall to hurt a beautiful woman like Bella? He would like to know who it was and give him a piece of his mind and perhaps a good lashing.

He didn't know who he was trying to fool. He wasn't even managing to fool himself any longer. Ever since he had seen her broken and on the floor, he wasn't able to keep her out of his mind. So many questions were left unanswered and it was driving him slowly crazy. He did have feelings for her. He was just another one of Bella Swans admirers; even if he managed to keep it quieter than others. Her partner was one of those people.

In fact, Jacob Black had quickly become the bane of Edward's existence. He made no secret of the fact that he and Bella had known each other a long time. He was Mr. Smooth. All the girls fawned after him as he walked down the hall. While Bella tended to shy away from all of the attention, Jacob seemed to strive for it.

"_Couldn't the ape see how uncomfortable she really was?"_ Edward wondered one day.

Edward was beginning to realize how alone he actually was, while Jacob paraded Bella around like a prize. Every time Edward saw Jacob and Bella together it was like a fresh cut to the chest. It didn't help that Bella was ignoring his very existence. Talk about a pay back. He'd had his chance and as Emmett so eloquently put it one night, "he fucking blew it."

Bella was obviously happy on some level when she was with Jacob. She would smile and laugh even if there was still sadness there in her eyes. Now that he woke up and realized he had feelings for her, he wanted to erase that sadness. He wanted to be the one that made her smile and laugh. But no, he would have to see her everyday and know that he couldn't have her. Even if Alice kept insisting that Bella and Jacob were just old friends, Edward knew what he was seeing, at least on Jacob's part, was more than just friendship even if he couldn't get a read on Bella.

He had to keep remembering why he pushed her away in the first place. He reminded himself that he shouldn't be involved with another instructor. Things would get messy. He wasn't good enough for her.

"_But what if he could be?"_ a small voice in his head chirped up.

He shook his head. No. It wasn't possible. Besides Bella hated him.

"_You don't know that." _the voice argued back. _"Have you ever asked?"_ He realized that he never had. _"What if Bella wasn't in a relationship with Jacob?" _Then he would still stand a chance. But he'd treated her pretty awful in the past. _"What if you could make up for that behavior?" _If he could explain himself it would certainly help the situation. But would he be enough for her? _"You wouldn't have to be perfect, just better than Jacob."_ He smiled. He had a feeling that Bella could make him happy again, that he could make her happy too. "_And you both deserve to be happy." _

He flipped open his phone and pressed the speed dial of the one person he knew would be 100% supportive of this new decision. "Alice, I need your help."

**End notes: Okay so in your reviews, tell me what you thought of Edwards's realization but also tell me what **_**your**_** favorite book of the series was and why. TTFN.**


	7. Thinking

**A/N: OMG you guys! You guys make me smile with your reviews the fact that you all want to smack Edward makes me smile I don't know why...I feel like I need to clarify something though. If you are reading this and want a lemon every chapter this story really isn't probably for you. I want this thing to actually have a point and a plot…so…yeah…if that's why your tuning in, feel free to tune out because I'll probably bore you with emotion and feelings and shit I think needs to be there. **

**Some of you are probably wanting to know why Bella is such an emotional clusterfuck, and this chapter might clear **_**some**_** of that up for you, however…it's not going to answer all of your questions I mean…how fun would it be if I just told you the whole story now, what would I do for the rest of the chapters? Okay super huge thanks to team Leave it! My beta's inkedupmom and babylopez2008.**

**There's also a song that I really think you all need to listen to when you read this chapter. It's not actually for the very beginning but for after the first break and it's on youtube… it's called **_**Without You**_** by Karylle. Listening to it after that first break in the story will really help you with the emotional tone.**

**Okay sorry for the monster A/N…now chapter 7…**

"I still can't believe it," Jake said to Bella as they sat down after one day of practice. Their backs leaning on the mirrors in the studio, resting for a few moments before they packed up. Well, before Jake packed up, Bella usually ended up staying for another hour.

She turned her head toward him, the back of it still resting on the cool surface, "Can't believe what? That I can still dance circles around you?" she teased, but Jake's face was somber still.

"I thought—," he started but then tried again, "We were _told_ that…that you couldn't…"

"That I couldn't what?"

"That you couldn't dance anymore," Jake finally finished softly.

"Is that so?" she asked in utter disbelief. Jake nodded, regarding her carefully. "Who-," she started to ask but she didn't need the confirmation she knew. Bella couldn't sit still any longer. "Bastard!" Bella exclaimed getting up.

Jake scrambled to his feet after and grabbed her arm. Bella whirled toward him her eyes blazing. She softened her gaze when she saw Jake's hurt expression. "Not you Jake…Jonathan," she explained. Jake dropped his hands."That's what that bastard told you, that I couldn't _dance_ anymore?" Bella asked not really expecting an answer.

Her hands curled into fists at her side. She was boiling. She had always wondered what Jonathan had told the other dancers. Well, now she knew and it made her mad enough to chew bricks.

Jake looked down at his feet, "Sort of…" he mumbled.

Bella reached out and shook Jake's arm to draw his attention back to her. "What did he say Jake?"

Jake met Bella's gaze for only one second before he looked back down. Bella could tell that Jake was reluctant to tell her, but she wasn't going to give up until he answered her. "He said that the accident affected you too much. That you'd lost your movement and...and your passion." he finished quietly.

She scoffed and began pacing. _'She'd lost her passion'? Well I guess whatever helped that jack ass sleep at night.  
_

"He was wrong Bells, really wrong. I don't know what Jonathan was thinking."

Bella scoffed again. She knew exactly what Jon had been thinking, or at least which head was directing his thoughts, and it wasn't the one resting on his shoulders. Jon had always let his dick do the thinking. It was a side of him very few people saw. She had seen it and she was disgusted by it. She knew that Jake wasn't privy to that side and she didn't know if she should enlighten him now.

Jake continued his speech unaware of Bella's internal monologue. "The company went to shit after you left Bells. That was the only show I got lead in and then Jonathan let in his son..." Bella couldn't help but flinch and she hoped that Jake didn't catch it. When he continued on she figured she was safe. "He started getting every major role, along with that bitch Maria. Not that they weren't good dancers, but we all hated it. It was hell."

If only Jake really knew what it was like in hell he wouldn't make that comparison. She'd been to hell…she'd been through hell because of Jon.

"When Alice called me and asked if I could come be a teacher, it was sort of the out I was looking for, but I wasn't sure until she told me you were going to be here. I hadn't seen you in over a year…and well…I missed you." Jake paused and Bella stopped her pacing to look at him. His dark skin was touched by the slightest of blush. She felt her shoulders sag.

Bella liked Jake she really did, he was her best friend other than Alice, but that blush made her think that he might be feeling more. Jake had always been attentive and a downright flirt, but she hadn't ever really returned his affections. If Jake felt more than friendship for her she didn't know what to do. The very thought of it made her slightly uncomfortable.

She didn't have any more time to dwell on it before Jake started talking again, "Plus maybe a part of me was curious to see if you could still put me to shame. And you do." Bella smiled slightly at that. After a moment, he spoke again. "What happened Bella? You never told me. We used to share everything, and don't think I can't tell that there's something still eating at you. I can. I just don't know what to…"

Her smile quickly vanished. "Just leave it please, Jake. I don't like to think about it, okay?" There was now only one person who was aware of her whole experience and she knew that Alice wouldn't tell a soul and for that she was thankful. Bella hated to admit it, but the only reason she told Alice was because she had to. Someone needed to help her and Alice had been great but she knew the weight of her secret was a heavy one. She didn't want to weigh Jake down with it. His naturally sunny disposition might not be able to bear it.

Jake realized immediately that he'd overstepped. "I'm sorry, Bells. I shouldn't have brought it up. It's just…I care, okay. You know that right? I'm here for you."

She gave Jake a sad smile, "I know Jake, but there's nothing that you can do okay? The past is… Let me tell you when I'm ready."

"Of course. I don't wanna push you, Bells. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Jake." Bella hoped that he wouldn't catch her lie like Edward had the other day. It wasn't fine. Bella doubted it would ever be fine. The past was too difficult to think about, but she was thinking about it again. Why was it when she seemed to put it from her mind for two minutes, fate would arrange for something to remind her of the part of her past she most wanted to forget? Her doctor told her she might not ever be able to forget, but she hoped she would.

After a few more minutes of Bella telling Jake she would be fine, he finally left her there in the studio like every other practice. She went to put on her showcase music, but she had lost her focus now that Jake had brought up the past. She groaned in frustration. It wasn't that she couldn't dance. She could move her feet just as well, but her heart wasn't there. She needed her heart for choreography.

The teachers each did a piece at the showcase for recruitment purposes. She would be doing two, one with Jacob and one solo, that was on top of her class choreography and lessons. Those who say "those that can't do; teach" never taught dance that was for sure. She sighed and turned off the music.

Thinking of her past would always bring up an all too familiar pattern. She would get angry first. She had all the right in the world to be angry. No one would disagree with that. But as the anger subsided, she would get sad. She was past angry. Now she was fighting tears again. She just wanted to get away for a few minutes. Away from the city and from everyone that knew her. She knew what she needed and she knew just the place to find it.

The cab driver looked at her like she was crazy when she gave him instructions to where she wanted to go, but he took her anyway. She managed to hold it together in the cab. The last thing she wanted was for a nosey cab driver asking her if she was alright. She tossed the cash at him through the window and stepped out and toward the rocky sand.

When she felt lost or sad, she needed to be by the water. She needed to hear the lapping on the shore, hear the gulls calling, and feel the light mist in the air. Even if it _was_ the fall, she needed the beach. She found this beach by accident on one of her runs from her apartment and every time she was having a hard day, she would come here. There wasn't anyone there on that stretch of land, and for that she was thankful.

She walked to the giant piece of driftwood that faced the waves and sat down. The cool breeze made her clutch her sweater to her tighter but it felt good. The shiver made her feel alive. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts wander across the ocean and up to heaven to the man that had always loved and accepted her.

"I miss you, dad," Bella said to the sky. She could feel the tears start to run down her cheeks. It was when she remembered the past that she remembered how much she still needed him, how much she missed him. He was her daddy. He was there for every scrape, bump and bruise that she got on her body. She would run to him and he would always take her in his strong arms and make her feel safe again. Now, when she needed him the most, he wasn't here. She would never feel those arms again.

Edward's call to his sister had gone from strange to stranger. After some serious convincing, she agreed to help only to put him on hold while she checked a text from Bella herself. When Bella had canceled her and Alice's lunch date, Alice became very concerned. Now evidently he was to sweep in and be prince charming and help the distressed damsel. Except Edward was at a distinct disadvantage; he didn't know what was upsetting the damsel in this situation. He tried to insist that it be Alice that go to her, but she said she was clear across town.

"I don't even know where she is Alice. Neither do you," he tried to point out to his sister.

"Who says I don't know where she is?"

"I thought you said that she didn't tell you where she was going?" Edward asked in confusion.

"She didn't."

"Then how do you…"

"She's at first beach."

"What?" he asked incredulous, "How do you even know that's where she's at?"

"Just trust me."

"If I remember correctly, when we were growing up, nothing good ever followed that phrase."

"You asked for my help didn't you?" Alice asked exasperated.

"Yes, but I don't see how me standing there awkwardly as she cries again…"

"What?" she interrupted very loudly. He cringed. He hadn't intended to let his sister in on his and Bella's conversation. "When wast this?"

Edward sighed knowing that resistance was futile. "I was at the school and Bella was in one of the rehearsal rooms. I thought she was hurt. I went to see if she was okay. She was crying." There that was a good enough explanation right.

"Edward…Bella's been through a lot."

"You keep saying that but you never tell me what _a lot _of stuff she's been through."

"It's not my story to tell, but Edward, I have a _feeling_ about this."

"Oh god…an Alice _feeling,_" he said with mock trepidation. She growled over the phone at him. "Okay…what is it swami?"

"There was something there between you two. You admitted it to me just a few minutes ago. You _aren't_ the only one who noticed it Edward, but I'm telling you right now, that for Bella…she has to trust you first. She's been burnt a lot of times. Just be there for her. Listen, you might be surprised."

So with that, Edward found himself driving to the beach in the middle of the fall. He didn't see any cars in the small parking area. Maybe Alice had been wrong. He would enjoy rubbing that in her face a little. Then again if she took a cab she wouldn't have a car here would she? He parked his Volvo and got out. He walked down the small set of stairs toward the water and stopped in his tracks right as pavement turned to sand.

She was there alright. He wished in that moment that he had a camera. He wanted to document this sight for the whole world to see. Bella sat on what looked like to be a whole tree that had washed up on the shore. The wind whipping from in front of her blew both her hair and her white skirt in behind her. She was seemingly unaware of his presence so he studied her a little more. She was looking straight out to the sea and every once in a while she would reach up to run her hand through her hair.

Why did he agree to this? He tried to remember. Oh Yes. Alice thought it would be a _good_ idea. One thing his sister seemed to forget is, he didn't do well with people. Music? Sure, no problem. Dance? He could do any step. But people? Not so much. He wasn't social by nature. He'd rather have his dancing speak for him. He distanced himself from people that were outside of his realm of family for so long he'd forgotten how to do this. Sure he could teach, but he didn't really feel the need to impress them. He wanted Bella to like him, and that fact alone scared him. Well there was no use delaying the process.

He slowly began to make his way toward her. She didn't seem to hear his approach so he coughed lightly. She turned her head quickly, sending her hair flying across her shoulder catching the breeze and blowing about back into her face. He couldn't tear himself away from those brown depths that were once again filled with tears.

Suddenly, she heard a throat clear behind her. She whirled her head behind her and to the right to see a familiar head of bronze hair and worried green eyes staring back at her. He looked beautiful, then again he always did.

_Didn't they say that about Lucifer too?_

What did she really know about him? Nothing really. Only that he was Alice's brother and that when they danced, she felt this strange sexual attraction that she'd never felt before. Other than that, the only thing she knew was that he was now seeing her cry for the second time.

Edward stood there looking like an Adonis with dark wash jeans and a light tan leather jacket that was opened to show the white button up he had on underneath. The wind was blowing his hair around his forehead and Bella was sure that hers looked like a rats nest already from the way her long strands had been whipping around. She hadn't expected _anyone_ to see her, let alone someone who knew her.

She turned her head so that the wind wasn't blowing the hair in her face any longer. She glanced down on the sand and saw a unfamiliar pair of black shoes. "How did you find me here?" she asked quietly. When he didn't answer Bella looked up at him. Edward ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it even more before he rubbed at the back of his neck.

_He was nervous._

It seemed a bit odd that he would just happen to want to come to the beach in the middle of the fall at the same time she was there. There had to be a genuine explanation. Edward opened and closed his mouth a few times before it came to her.

"Alice," they both said at the same time. He said it like an explanation, she said it like an expletive.

"She was concerned about you," he finally managed to explain.

"Well, I'm fine," she said hoping he'd let it drop, but he didn't.

"No, you're not." His tone was matter of fact and in that moment she _wanted_ to be mad at him. How dare he think he knew her better than she did? Then again, she had been lying when she said she was fine. She wasn't fine. So she couldn't be mad. He pointed to the log where she sat. "May I?" She nodded and he sat down next to her.

She braced herself for what was to come. The one hundred questions that uncovered why she was such a god damn spaz. Why it was that every time he saw her she was crying? But he didn't ask her anything, he just sat down and started looking out over the water. She waited and waited but he didn't even sigh in exasperation like she knew Alice would have. He just sat there and though she wanted to be upset for his intrusion, she couldn't.

She couldn't explain it, but his presence managed to do something that usually took her hours alone. She was able to pull herself out of the past wallowing and back to the present. She finally managed to get her crying under control. She wiped at her face with her hand and was surprised when Edward handed her a small package of Kleenex. She sniffled for a few more moments. "Thank you," she said handing the remainder of the package back to him.

"No problem," he said reaching out to take the pack from her.

She didn't relinquish the tissues completely, but she squeezed his hand slightly to get his attention again. "No. Really _thank you_."

"For what?"

"For not asking," she said and he gave her a small smile. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his other hand begin to rise before he dropped it back to his side.

"You're welcome, Bella. You're welcome."

**End notes: Okay…so there it is…six pages of word document…what do you think? Too much? Did I lose any of you? Let me know and I'll catch you up. Please Review…like Ke$ha says your love is my drug.**


	8. Opening Up

**A/N: Okay kiddies…this one is another short one of basically exposition, which is what us theater types call what is mostly referred to as character background, but these two are getting closer…that's a good thing…and there will be more dancing soon and a longer chapter is on the way too, I promise. **

**Super shout outs to my beta masters babylopez2008 and inkedupmom for helping me whip these chapters into shape.**

He really wanted to touch her again. Right there in that moment when she said she was thankful that he didn't ask what was wrong, he wanted to reach out and cup her cheek like he had when he wiped the tears off her face Sunday, but he resisted. It just didn't feel right, because he _really wanted _to know what it was that was bothering her so much. But she didn't want to be pushed. He realized that now.

"You must think I'm a complete psycho. Every time you see me, I'm crying," she said wiping under her eyes with the tissue she still held in her hand.

"I don't think you're crazy," he insisted and she scoffed. "No, I really don't," he assured her again. "In fact, you are one of the more normal people that I know." Edward took a little pride in the genuine sounding laugh that came from her. It gave him the courage to speak again. "I just think that you have something on your mind that weighs on you and sometimes it's too much to bear."

She turned toward him her eyes filled with shock. "How did you…?"

"Because I can see it Bella. I can see _you_." He tried hard not to emphases that last word, but he wasn't successful. Bella broke their eye contact to once again look out to the water. "You try to hide it but you're sad. Whatever it is, it's always right below the surface."

It was quiet for a while before her voice sounded over the quiet lapping of the water on the stones. "It's my father."

Edward nodded slightly. _Okay…so it was her dad…well that was a start_…

He paused and waited for her to continue when she didn't he figured he'd try to prompt her a little.

"He doesn't support you?" he asked her.

"No," she answered immediately snapping her head in his direction. "He always supported me," she told him firmly. Her reaction seemed strange to him until her words processed.

Supported- as in past tense…?

It seemed almost laughable to her, her dad not supporting her. Her need to defend her father spurred her to continue.

"He was there every step of the way. He was the best dad any girl could have asked for. He didn't ask for _me_, God knows. He and my mom had been high school sweethearts. But she had left right after she graduated and Dad had stayed behind to help support his parents. When my mom showed up on his door pregnant, he took her in and they got married." Bella could remember how her father used to talk about her mother. He would always get a wistful look in his eyes. "He really did love her and I think my mom loved him in her own way. But she was young and a little flighty and not even a year after I was born, she skipped out and never looked back."

Bella sighed. She didn't have a relationship with her mother. She didn't know what had become of her at all. She hadn't had any contact with the woman since she'd left.

"Dad was working at the police station then, just as a beat cop." Bella chuckled to herself. "Well as much of a beat cop as he could be in Forks, but he had plans to run for county sheriff. All of those plans were put on hold when my mom left me with him. He just couldn't travel all over the county if he had me at home to care for. So he stayed on the Forks Police force and got our neighbor to watch me while he was at the station."

Bella smiled remembering the older woman who she'd spent so much time with. "Mrs. Webber was like a second grandmother to me. She just happened to watch her own granddaughter who was my age. It was a perfect fit. Angela and I were inseparable. When she started to go to ballet, I went too and much to the surprise of Forks, I was good at it. Dad was happy that I was doing it. He was worried that I wouldn't be exposed to normal girly things. Then little clumsy, shy Bella Swan surprised nearly everyone, when sophomore year I was scooped up by the ABA for their program."

"Dad wasn't too thrilled by the idea of his sixteen year old daughter moving to New York by herself, but the program directors finally convinced him that I would be under strict supervision." Bella couldn't contain her snort at that.

Her father would be shocked at what they called strict supervision. Sure it was a little constraining when they first got there, but if they passed the first year they were pretty much free to do whatever they pleased within reason. As long as they made it to rehearsals, stayed in shape and were back by curfew they didn't care.

"We missed each other terribly, but it was the opportunity of a lifetime. After graduation, I got accepted to stay on as a full member of the company. Dad would fly to New York for every single performance, no questions asked. He would just take the time off. I could count on him being there with a bouquet of Daisies." She smiled slightly as she closed her eyes and saw him, just as he always was. Dressed in his one gray suit with the only flowers that mattered to her. "I was a _prima Ballerina_ at the American Ballet Company, it was my ultimate dream and it lasted for a while, but then everything changed." The smile slipped off her face as she continued her story.

"It was my last performance of Romeo and Juliet. Dad and I had talked on the phone and since he couldn't make the opener, he made plans to be in the audience for the closer. After my performance on closing day, I went out to the meet and greet area and Dad wasn't there. It was the first one he'd missed in years. It had been one of my best roles and he'd missed it. Then, when I got back to my apartment, there was a message on my answering machine. It was from Mark, one of his deputies." Tears were streaming down her face again. "Dad had been in an accident. He'd stopped on his way to see me to help someone out. It was on the worst stretch of road and it was nasty outside, but it was the only way to the highway from town. He got hit by a drunk driver getting out of his car.

"I left New York immediately. Jonathan said he understood, but when I got back from Forks, he was different. I went to talk with him because I was having a hard time dealing with my grief. Jonathan didn't understand. He…" She battled with what to say next. She wasn't sure she wanted Edward to know the _whole_ truth yet, so she settled for skimming over the details. "…yelled at me and after our argument I left. The next day at rehearsal he asked all the dancers to line up and he…he embarrassed me in front of all of the other dancers by telling me that there was no longer a place for me in the company."

"And you came to Seattle?"

"Not at first. I packed up everything and moved back to Forks. But living in my old house wasn't what was best for me. I was depressed and the bills were starting to pile up. The only person I talked to regularly was Alice. She saw the signs and sprung into action. She saved me with this job. I make enough to keep my dad's house as well as live off of, for now at least. But every time I dance, I go back to a place deep inside of me and the emotions get the best of me. I keep seeing Charlie and Jonathan and I don't know if I'm strong enough to handle the grief and the anger all at once. I feel so alone. How can I teach kids like I was taught and not think that what happened to me might happen to them too?"

"What _happened_ to you? Bella it was an accident."

"No. It wasn't an accident…he meant to do it no matter what he says. I wasn't the one to…"

"Bella?" he interrupted her tirade, "Why do I get the feeling you aren't talking about your father."

"Oh god…" She covered her mouth in shock and finally her eyes met his.

His brows were wrinkled in confusion and she knew that she'd shared more than she had intended to. "I've said too much," she mumbled from behind her hand. It seemed like a common occurrence when she was around the Cullen's. She quickly stood and walked away from him but he wasn't letting go of her that easily. Edward jumped up and tugged gently on her arm to stop her.

His voice was soft as he spoke, "Bella, I'm not going to _make_ you tell me anything. You only have to tell me what you feel comfortable telling me." She still couldn't meet his gaze.

Her voice was barely a whisper in the wind as she spoke staring into the water ahead of her, "That's the problem, Edward. I'm _comfortable_ with telling you, but I know I shouldn't. I don't want…I don't want what I have to say to affect anyone else. I don't understand what it is about you that just makes me want to tell you my whole life history, consequences be damned. But I do. I could." she trailed off not knowing how to finish the sentence.

"Maybe you can sense that I'm like you." Bella scoffed at that. "I know that you hide, I understand, because I hide too." Bella didn't know what to say to that. She was hiding something. She was hiding herself. After a moment Edward continued, "I'll prove I'm worthy of your trust, Bella."

"I don't doubt that your worthy, Edward," she looked over at him with a sad smile. "I'm just not sure if I am."

**End notes: I know a little less talk and a lot more action, that's what you want…well *sticks tongue out* I like exposition…sometimes…it builds character! **

**So...tell me what's going on in your mind. Anything. Wanna have a chat? PM me, stalk me on twitter katiecav1989 look me up on my blog, or the way that will always make me smile...Leave a review.**


	9. Talking to the Dancing Gods

**A/N: The song for this chapter is the Vitamin String Quartet's tribute to the song **_**Clocks,**_** originally by coldplay.**

After her talk with Edward on the beach, things got better for Bella. There weren't any more feelings of ill will between them and she felt a lot better just to have someone other than Alice know at least part of her story. Edward was surprisingly easy to talk to and a great listener. They'd gotten into a routine. They would all eat lunch together and then Edward would walk her back to her practice space so that she could work. To his credit Edward never asked much, but they had gotten to know each other over the past week. He didn't judge and she found that refreshing.

She smiled as she came out of her spins and put her hands on her hips thinking about some of their talks.

She learned a bit more about him and what it was like growing up with Alice and Emmett. He in turn listened to her stories of growing up the only child of a single parent. He told her how he started dancing when his mom had forced him to go to class with Alice. He had ended up loving it. She told him that she'd always wanted to choreograph but rarely got the chance when she was at the ABC. They would always do Jonathan's programs. One of the things she loved about working at the Volterra Academy was the freedom.

Currently she was working on the program that she and Jake were putting together for the showcase. As soon as Carlisle mentioned that he wanted the faculty to do a program in their areas of expertise for the showcase, they'd been practicing like crazy. Bella checked her watch again. Jacob was running late. That wasn't like him. Just then Bella heard the doors open and her stomach dropped. Jacob was on crutches.

"Oh my god Jake!" She ran over to him and helped him to a chair. "What happened?"

"It was an accident," he explained.

The only reason Bella didn't roll her eyes was because she was worried. She hadn't thought that he would do something like that on purpose.

"I was working with one of the boys. I was demonstrating something and I came down on my foot wrong."

"What did the doctor say?" Bella felt useless hovering over him.

Jake sighed. "He said that I have to stay off of it for at least seven weeks."

"Seven weeks but Jake the showcase is in six!" Bella exclaimed jumping to her feet.

"I know Bells and I'm sorry," his tone full of genuine regret. Bella paced away from him rubbing her forehead. "I wish there was something I could do, but the doc says if I dance on it too soon the tendon won't heal properly and it'll loose strength."

Bella didn't want Jake to do anything that could hurt his future in dance.

"No. It's not your fault. These things happen. Don't worry about it. I'll…think of something." He gave her a suspicious look. "Really…it'll be fine. You better go home and rest."

"I'm so sorry, Bella."

"It's fine Jake…just…just go. I'll call you tonight." And with that Jake hobbled out the door.

Bella put her back to the wall and slid down to sit on the floor. She took a deep breath and then let it out. She started running through her options and was coming up blank. She sat there for a while in quiet contemplation. She scrubbed her hand over her face and groaned. "What am I going to do now?"

"Trying to communicate with the dance gods?" A smooth voice said from the direction of the door way.

Her eyes snapped open in surprise, but then she smiled and leaned her head back against the wall. "That depends."

"On?" he asked sliding down next to her.

"If it works," she chuckled once without humor. "I could really use some positive divine intervention right about now."

"Well I can't offer you _divine intervention_, but I can offer you a cheeseburger." He shook a paper bag he had in his hands. "When you didn't come down for lunch I…we got worried." She looked down at her watch and was surprised to find that she had missed lunch.

"Thanks." Bella smiled over at him as he sunk down next to her and handed her the burger. She opened it and looked under the bun.

"No onions, extra tomatoes."

She looked over at him in surprise, "You remembered that?"

He glanced away as if he was uncomfortable but she couldn't shift her gaze away from him. "Of course."

When he said it, it sounded as if he meant something else entirely. He cleared his throat and spoke clearer, "I hope you don't mind but I brought mine with me too."

"Of course I don't mind," she answered with a warm smile.

They ate in silence for a while before Edward spoke again, "So are you going to tell me what had you talking to the dancing divine?"

She sighed and swallowed her mouthful, "Jacob hurt his ankle. He has to stay off of it for the next seven weeks."

"Oh."

"We were working on a piece for the showcase. Carlisle wants every department to do at least one piece to show newcomers what to expect when they apply. You probably have to do one as well?"

"Um…yeah," he nodded and spoke around the food in his mouth.

"Well Jake and I were in charge of the piece and I just don't know what I'm going to do now. I don't have time to completely choreograph another piece, not with all the other work I have to do."

"So don't."

She scoffed he made it sound so easy. "I can't make a dancer appear from thin air. Who am I going to get to fill in for Jacob? There really isn't anyone else. Everyone is already doing something for the showcase. I would just make it a solo, but I can't do that. Alice and Rose are counting on this as well. We were going to do a scene that was sort of like Cinderella, but modern. Because Jacob is more traditional and I'm more contemporary…we were using a combination of both. Modern music, a contemporary pointe piece…"

He coughed a little and then spoke. "I know of someone. Someone that's had _some_ training…it was a while ago, but after some brushing up I'm sure they'd be fine." He took a swig of his water.

"Really? Who? I thought I knew of every ballet trained faculty member here?"

"Well they don't exactly advertise that they were classically trained." He swallowed thickly and Bella couldn't help but notice that he seemed nervous again. His brow was furrowed and his jaw was clenched as if he was thinking something through. Bella couldn't help but notice how attractive that looked.

She looked away to avoid staring at him any longer. "Well who is it?"

"Me."

Her eyes snapped back to him, "What?"

He cleared his throat and looked her in the eye as he answered her again, "I'll do it. I'll fill in for Jacob."

**End notes: Okay…there it is. I know not very long, but pop on over to the forums for a teaser :D and I promise that it won't be too long till the update. Hopefully. Please review!**


	10. The Way She Moved

Chapter 10 – No Apologies

**A/N: Hello my lovelies…I know I know…please put away the pitchforks please! I haven't updated in forever and you can all blame two things…school…and this story that I'm going to shamelessly plug right now…**

**I wrote a story for Fans Against Domestic Violence and after posting the first part of it I decided to try and extend it. It takes me a while to write a chapter so I'm working on it in short spells but it takes a lot out of me because of the type of content the story has in it. Anyway...I would really appreciate it if you would go and check it out. However be warned it does deal with Domestic Violence so it's a sad story (read with a box of tissues). It's not posted yet on Twilighted because I don't want it to interfere with the posting of this story so it's posted on fanfiction(dot)net on my profile penname katiecav.**

**There I begged and now about this chapter….This is really where a lot of technical things come into play so I can't not thank heavenli24 enough for her breakdown and formal dance knowledge. You are a dancing nija! and if you haven't read her stories…drop everything (except any small children) and go and read, I can wait that long….really I can….**

**Okay everyone back…Good! I hope you enjoyed. Okay now where were we? Oh yes I remember. I wanted to give you an opportunity to see the solo that Bella dances in this chapter. Here is the link to the video on you-tube.**

http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=FieWP-BwPOE&feature=related

**The whole group dances part of this and if any of you are curious I'll give you my break down of how I envision the whole dance looking together just ask me in your review :-) Okay enjoy…**

"One, two, three, four, five, and six, and seven and eight…" Bella called out, as her contemporary class danced on the stage in front of her. Time was ticking down to the showcase and she wanted her kids to get as much practice on the stage as possible. The rehearsal rooms, while good for learning the routine, were never enough. To practice in the _actual _performance space as much as allowed is always beneficial. The floor on the stage is different than the ones in the practice rooms because of the hollow space below the performance area.

"One, two, three, four and second group go!"

"Maria watch your arms," she called out a reminder to one of her students. "Remember, like this," she said demonstrating proper form. Maria immediately fixed it and Bella smiled at her.

"That's much better." Bella had them all start a few steps before the correction and continue pushing on to the end. As she watched groups dance, she tried to picture the solo that accompanied it. Something toward the end was off.

Bella looked at her watch and stopped them, "Okay girls, that's good for the day. Pack up and I'll see you all the day after tomorrow. Remember to be ready to audition during our next class if you want the solo. You can go back to the room to do your cool down if you want, or just jog it out; whatever you prefer."

As soon as the last girl left the stage, Bella sat down on the floor and pulled her shoes on and began to stretch. She would fix that problem in the choreography today. She had to figure out what would work better with the group moves and it was best if she did it while her class observations were fresh in her head. She could teach whoever it was that she gave the solo to the new choreography after the auditions. She quickly ran through the routine in her head.

Bella spread her legs in a split and leaned over one leg. So far the group part of the routine hadn't proved too difficult for most of the class. She'd only had to help a few of the students with minor corrections. The solo was slightly more difficult because it was a pretty lyrical piece, and most of the girls still hadn't gotten the hang of the different style. The beginning portion was straight forward for the most part.

_A Développé followed by a single rond de jambe on l'air and then a double rond de jambe en l'air, detourne en pointe, a chasse port de bras._

She switched sides in her stretch and thought about the last move. She'd been having the girls that wanted to try out come in for extra practice so they could work on the piece without taking time away from the in class work. Bella found that some of the better trained girls in the group were struggling with that particular move.

She had switched out the conventional arm movements for something more contemporary. It made it flow far better than the traditional ones with the music choice, however it was proving a little difficult to make that notion stick with the girls. Some of them had techniques pounded into them from such a young age and asking them to do something different was a bit hard on them. Bella knew how that was, she was one of those girls at one time. She would still have to correct them on occasion, but these girls worked hard to achieve perfection and were driven.

_Pas de bourrée courus, pique en arabesque, then right leg développé, followed by a pas de bourrée. Two small rond de jambe a terres, and an arabesque quickly followed by a Chaînés, pas de bourrée courus, développé, and a double pirouette._

As Bella bent down the middle she thought about Maria today. She was a prime example. Maria had been trained by a retired member of the Russian ballet. You don't get much more serious in ballet than Russian trained…they know their ballet. They are also sticklers for things such as form and style. Bella should know, she was trained by one herself. However, Bella's Madame had always said that it was just, if not _more, _important to dance with the heart.

Bella sat up and walked over to the portable bar by the back wall and placed her right leg on top of it. She leaned over it feeling the muscles in her thigh pull tight as she grabbed her ankle. She switched sides and did the same to her left leg before she ran through her positions on both legs.

Having significantly warmed up, Bella walked over to the small faucet that was off to the side of the stage. She wet her shoes and rubbed them down with chalk, then rinsed her hands off and pulled her hair up in a tighter bun.

_Three échappés sur les pointes (two in second, one in fourth),a grande jeté entrelacé. _

Bella sighed, it was after that _grande_ _jeté_ that she thought things would begin to feel and look a little forced. She didn't think that it was as simple as changing the positions of the arms. Bella tended to be a pretty natural choreographer, so she honestly hoped that it would come to her. She had listened to the song selection a hundred times since she'd decided on it. When she had choreographed it in the first place she hadn't been 100% satisfied. She should have followed her gut and fixed it long ago. She had a few ideas on what moves might look better, but she had no real clue what would fit. However, she knew her body and if she did one that didn't feel right, she would know it.

Bella ran through her options as she cued up the song and made her way to center stage. She had mixed it to give enough lag time in front of the track for the curtain to rise and the crowd to quiet down.

Edward heard the distinct beating of a bump track coming from the auditorium as soon as he opened the door. He looked at his watch. He didn't think anyone was scheduled to be in this part of the building right now. It was one of the reasons he and Bella had decided to meet over here.

The other being, this was where he usually held his classes and he would need to go straight from one of his Adult Latin class to his meeting with her.

Curiosity got the better of him and instead of turning left and heading to his room, Edward went straight and quietly opened the door to the orchestra seating area of the theater. Edward smiled at what he saw. Bella was on stage with her class clapping as she shouted out the count.

"One, two, three, four, five, and six, and seven and eight…" Her voice floated over to him and Edward closed his eyes to savor the chills it sent down his spine.

This was the first time he had seen her teach and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to see her in her element. He quietly snuck into a seat in the far corner and sat down. Edward dropped his bag by the back wall and just watched. She was exquisite. Her hair had fallen out of her loose bun and was framing her face. She had the most beautiful smile on her face, and her eyes were bright.

She wasn't the stand still and teach kind of person either. She moved with every move that they did. Edward even saw her put the weight on the balls of her feet when the students did a jump. She gently corrected a student on her arm placement and then praised her when she immediately made the correction, then had them start again from a point a few moves prior to the interruption.

Bella stopped moving after a few seconds to study the motions of her students. She was off to the side so Edward could see the profile of her face. Her eyebrows furrowed and her head tilted to one side as she watched her class dance. She bit into her lower lip and after only a few more moments she called the class to a halt and gave them instructions to make sure they did their cool down. Edward sunk lower in his seat not wanting to get caught spying on her. Luckily the students were too distracted by their own conversations to really pay attention.

Edward was going to get up and make himself known, but when he looked up Bella was spreading her legs in a wide split and Edward found he was no longer capable movement or speech. So he continued to watch as she went through her stretching routine.

Edward nearly came undone when she practically laid flat on the floor still in the splits and he fully admits to staring at her butt as she did her bar stretches and at her face as she held a look of severe concentration as she ran through her positions perfectly. Edward watched as she walked over and dampened her shoes and rubbed her chalk bag over them. She fixed her hair and fiddled with the stereo while he stared. She walked over to center stage and sat down with her legs to the side. Edward was curious about what she was doing until he heard the music start.

It wasn't the bump track. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. It was a song that he hadn't heard since his roommate had hooked him on German rock and roll. _Letzter Tag_ by _Herbert__Grönemeyer_ was an interesting choice. Edward watched as she moved to the music and he began to understand the beauty in her choice. She slowly rose from the ground moving slowly to the left extending her hand and then retracted as she moved back to the right. She put her whole body into her dancing.

When she lifted her arms up he could have sworn she was praying for the forgiveness. That's when he realized something. Bella's dances told a story. They all did. Each movement was specific, each meaning something different and each fitting to what the song would have been saying.

She was brilliant. Edward had seen her dance before yes, bits and pieces here and there. Then there was that amazing night at the club, but this…this was different. She was so precise in her movement, so sharp, yet at the same time so beautifully fluid. She _looked _like a Swan out there. The stage was her pond and she was the most beautiful bird that there was. As she moved into the motions Edward had just seen her students do, he was amazed at how different it seemed.

It wasn't just the fact that the music gave the moves a different meaning. It was Bella. All of it was her. Edward had thought that she was good, when in fact she was amazing.

Then something happened. The choreography changed. The jump she had made had far more height than the others did. Instead of continuing into a _chase_ like the students had, Bella came out of the jump, spun and sank down into an elegant split. She spun on her butt and kicked her legs around in front of her until she was kneeling with one leg still extended. With a flutter of arm movement she peered over her shoulder in his direction.

Edward froze for two reasons. One was the fact that he could have sworn she had seen him, and the second was because of the breathtaking smile that she had on her face.

She had that smile on her face for the remainder of the routine. As she stretched back up and into a series of turns and small jumps he thought that the program was coming to and end until she made one of the highest jumps he'd seen in a while. After a series of _pirouettes _she sank down into the position in which the routine began her head resting on her hands on the floor. The look of determination that had been there was replaced by a serene smile. She sat back up and nodded once as she opened her eyes, then made her way down the steps on the side of the stage. Grabbing a small white towel that lay on top of her bag, she wrapped it around her neck and began to pat her face with it as soon as she cleared the last step. When she brought the towel away from her eyes, Edward could tell the moment that she saw him, her eyes grew wide and she stopped in her place.

"Hello?" She called squinting in his direction. Edward stood and made his way down the aisle toward her. "Oh Edward, thank god, I thought you were…" she trailed off.

"Who?" He asked when she didn't say anything else.

"It doesn't matter," she said as she lightly shook her head, glancing at her feet. She looked back up at him with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

Edward was standing right in front of her at this point. "Well I don't know if you remember, but I teach here."

She shoved his shoulder as she laughed lightly. "I meant what are you doing here in the auditorium. No one was assigned in here were they? I thought it was open…"

"It is. I was just headed into my class and I heard the music."

"Oh. How long have you been here?"

"Long enough." She turned from him to put her towel back in her bag. "Bella…"

"Yes?" she asked turning to face Edward again.

"That was beautiful."

"What was?"

"The dance. It was amazing. _You _were amazing."

"Really? It didn't look forced or strange at any point?"

"No of course not. Why?"

"I just redid the ending and I wasn't sure if it looked right."

"It looked more than right. Wait, you just came up with that last part?"

"Yes. From the sit spin on was all new." Edward shook his head smiling. "What?" She asked seeing his reaction.

"Nothing." Edward answered knowing it was a lie. How this woman couldn't know how breathtaking she is, was beyond him, because he could see it plainly. Edward knew one thing…Bella Swan could be the most amazing woman he'd ever met.

**End notes: I know there was some technical terms there but just look up the video if you want some visual aids. As usual here's where I beg for reviews. Reviewers will be teased so press that little button and tell me what you thought. **


	11. Rain Checks

**A/N: Hola there kiddies…okay so super duper thanks to those of you that are still reading this little story. This Chapter was written to the song, Lovesong performed by the Vitamin String Quartet (originally done by The Cure). See you at the end my sweets…**

**Super thanks to my wonderful Beta's **inkedupmom **and **babylopez2008**.**

Edward slugged his way over the practice room. He was slightly early, he wasn't going to lie and say he didn't end his class a little early today in hopes of expanding his time with Bella. He heard Bella in the next hall talking and his steps halted.

"I miss you too. No that's perfectly fine. I understand completely. No your right I don't. I'm trying, I really am. I know you do and you have no idea how much I love you for it."

It was at this point Edward's stomach dropped. She'd just told someone that she loved them. Edward didn't think that she had any family left…that's what she'd said right? He tried to remember but was coming up blank. Listening to just Bella's side of the conversation was beginning to annoy him.

"How is she? Good that's good. Tonight? Sure why not. I'll be there at seven how about that? I'll cook us all dinner."

Edward decided that he'd heard enough and headed around the corner. Bella's eyes immediately locked with his, her hand holding her phone up to her ear.

"Listen babe I gotta go. Yeah I will. Kisses. Bye." She snapped the phone shut and turned toward him with a smile. "Hey."

Edward tried to act as though his stomach wasn't in his shoes. "Hey…" Her smile faltered and she averted her eyes. In that moment Edward worried that maybe he wasn't hiding his feelings very well. "Everything okay?" he ventured.

She threw him back a weak smile, "Yeah it's fine." Edward cocked an eyebrow and she took a deep breath and gave him a less forced smile. "Don't worry about it." She then changed the subject completely. "Your class go well?"

Edward decided not to push the issue in fear of her pulling away from him more. "Yeah. It went fine." He opened the door to the practice room she seemed to be happy that he was letting it drop. "You ready to get started?"

"Yep," Bella said as she passed through the door. Edward followed her in and dropped his bag by the wall.

"Okay, tell me about the piece." He inquired as he changed his shoes.

"Okay," Bella sighed. "It's basically a modern Cinderella story, well at least modern music. And before you do the token guy groan," she said interrupting him right before he could groan, "just give it a chance, okay? The section we're doing is the ballroom dance scene done to _Jem's_ song _24_. They try to get to each other, but things keep getting in the way. The stepsisters, walls, etcetera. I have all sorts of ideas for the set. I've got some numbers from the theater department at the conservatory. I want to do some plexiglass walls so that you can still see through them…" They had both begun to stretch at this point.

"Seems like a lot of trouble to go through for a showcase."

"It would be if I didn't plan on using them later."

"Really?" Edward looked up at her.

She nodded, "Carlisle said that we could do the ballet for the faculty summer performance. It's one of the reasons we're doing the piece for the showcase. To plug the show."

Edward furrowed his brow. They didn't usually get major ballets. They were up and coming in the community but choreographers would rather see their ballets performed in New York or San  
Francisco. "Who's ballet is it? Who did the choreography? Would they let us do that? We wouldn't really be able to pay for big royalties."

Bella chuckled and shook her head. "I don't think they'll have an issue with it. And there wouldn't be any royalties."

"Really? How did you manage that?"

"It's really just to get their name back out there you know, to prove a point. That they aren't finished," she said the last with a fierceness that concerned him slightly. He wondered why it was so important to her. Who was the choreographer to her? Maybe it was the person she just professed her love to.

Edward wanted to ask, but he chose the safer path. "Okay…who's who in this thing?"

Bella seemed to have gotten a hold of her emotions when she spoke again. "Well, I tried to talk Rosalie into being the Cinderella, she fit the role…you know beautiful…talented…blond."

Edward wanted to interrupt her to tell her she was more beautiful and talented than anyone he knew. That the only thing that Rosalie had that Bella didn't have in spades was the fact that Rosalie was in fact blonde. He wanted to say all of these things but he didn't.

"But she turned me down, said that everyone would be expecting that. She said it didn't matter. It was an interpretation so who was to say that Cinderella had to be blond. So she and Alice are going to be the stepsisters. Jake was the prince, so that's where you'll be stepping in."

"So that leaves Cinderella for you."

"It does." She didn't sound particularly pleased by this fact. It was odd how Bella didn't strive to be in the center spotlight when she so clearly deserved it. "It's probably best anyway…I already know the choreography," she said getting up from the floor. "I'm not gonna lie. It's not really conventional stuff. I don't doubt you'll be able to learn it in the time, but still. There aren't very many conventional ballet moves. A lot of it is running around, hitting points, contemporary. I originally chose this because Jake and I already knew it. He's the one that helped me work it all out in the first place..." she trailed off, here eyes grew wide and she turned away from him quickly.

Edward knew what he heard, and it was only reinforced by her actions, but he wanted to hear her admit it. "Wait a minute, what?"

She busied herself with her hair and avoided eye contact. "Um…yeah."

Edward wasn't letting go though, "So this is yours? It's your ballet?"

"Yeah."

Edward just shook his head again. Immediately regretting his initial groan. No wonder she was so protective of the story. It was hers. Was there anything this woman couldn't do? He thought back to the beach, the day she had told him she didn't think she was worthy of his time, of his kindness. He wondered when she would see herself as he did. Maybe if he believed it enough she would eventually believe him too. "Okay then, Madam. Where do we start?"

*~*~*~EXB~*~*~*

Bella and Edward exited the academy two hours later fully exhausted.

"Well that wasn't so bad. Not easy but not bad, at least I don't think," Edward said as they walked down the street.

Bella stopped and turned toward him. "Not bad at all. I should have warned you about the routine before you volunteered. I'm sorry"

"Nah…don't worry about it. I'll get it. It'll just take me a few rehearsals. Really," he tried to assure her.

"Okay. What ever you say," Bella said not sounding at all convinced. Edward tried to stretch his muscles discretely as they began to walk again. All of a sudden Bella stopped again and burst out laughing.

"What?" Edward asked turning to her confused at what she was finding so funny.

"Sore?" She asked and he knew that he hadn't been as discrete as he had hoped.

Edward winced again, but not because of muscle pain this time. "That noticeable?"

"The wince was hard to miss," Bella said before she bust out in laughter again.

"Okay I'll admit it, I haven't been this sore in a while. You don't use some of these muscles in ballroom. It's not funny!" But Edward couldn't keep a straight face either. It had been the first time he saw her laugh like this. There wasn't a secret pain in her eyes. She was so open and free. It was infectious and he found himself chuckling too. "Okay it's a little funny, but will you stop laughing at me please?"

"Okay…okay I'm sorry. It's just your face," she said a little winded from her laughter.

"I'm glad that my pain amuses you." The funny thing was Edward was being truthful. He was glad for anything that brought that laughter from her.

"I can't tell you how much," Bella said with a smile as she wiped tears from her eyes. "God, I haven't laughed that hard in a while." Edward couldn't help the smile that spread across his face in response to that statement. It felt good to be the reason for her laughter. This was him making her laugh not Jake, but him.

He felt a little bold and figured he would go ahead and push his luck. "Say, you wanna go and get something to eat at the Café? You know before I go back to my place and soak in the tub for the next few hours…"

Her eyes widened at his question. She was quiet for a minute before she spoke again, "Oh. Um…I can't," she stuttered.

Edward felt his face fall slightly. "Oh." That's when he remembered her phone conversation on the phone earlier. She had plans…with the person she loves, and it wasn't him.

Edward tried to plaster what he hoped was a smile on his face, but had a feeling that it came across as a grimace. "It's not that I don't want to," she continued quickly. "I just have plans. With my friend Maggie."

"Oh." That time he knew he didn't conceal his happiness at this news. Her _friend _Maggie…so not a boyfriend. That's who she'd been on the phone with.

He could feel a more genuine smile cross his features. He was about to speak when she interrupted him, "Um…how about a rain check?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "That sounds good, great actually. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah definitely." She said as they parted ways. He watched as she walked away from him. She'd said she wanted a rain check. Maybe this wasn't just all him. Maybe there was hope after all. She looked back at him once and waved with a shy smile still on her face. He'd witnessed something today, and he didn't really know how to describe it.

It was clear to Edward that Bella loved what she did. She had a talent that a blind man could see. It was in everything she did. In each movement of her feet and arms. In each extension there was such fluidity, such skill it nearly brought him to his knees, she became someone else when she danced. It was a mask she put on to hide what she was truly feeling. There were times where her eyes were bright and alive, free of anything but joy, but still there were times when he looked in her eyes and he could see the pain there. She had told him why, to a certain extent. He knew she was hiding something from him, that what she'd said wasn't the whole story.

He knew that pain that accompanied loosing your family, but it was something more than that. It was something that had happened to her. Something that had been done to her. Edward was certain that it happened while she was in New York, he just didn't know what. Alice had told him what he needed to do, but patient was usually Edward's game. But Bella was worth it. So he figured if he was diligent enough, if he could prove to her that he couldn't be scared away. That he would never run from her no matter what it was, she would eventually tell him. She would let him in.

Edward knew that he shouldn't care either way. That he should be staying away, but he couldn't. He didn't have the strength to leave her alone anymore. Bella could be the one that made him whole again, and he was certain he could do the same for her. If only she let him.

"Oh, Bella," he whispered after he retreating form. "Let me in, _please _just let me in."

**End notes: Okay? I already have lots in store for these two…the next chapter is nearly written already…so expect an update probably by the end of the week at the latest. Depending on how long I stay at Panera today, maybe tomorrow… tehe…any-who.**

**Anyone figured out what's making Bella such a tough nut to crack? Hopefully I can surprise you? TTFN!**


	12. Helping Hands

**A/N: Holy long chapter Batman! This one is a big one! 6 pages on word can you believe it? A Lot of stuff is about happens in this chapter, so I hope I don't lose any of you. If I do, let me know and problems will be fixed. This chapter was written and edited to S**tep Right Up **by **Red Jumpsuit Apparatus**. So awesome a song it must be listened to. This chapter will still be here while you go look it up…I'll wait…I really will.**

**Okay you're back great. You like the song? Great! Moving on. This chapter is dedicated to the loveliness that are my betas **babylopez2008** and **Inkedupmom**. You chickies rock my world so hard core! You should all bow down to their awesomeness because without them there would be no chapter…okay well I'll see you at the end…**

The next week was a flurry of activity for Bella and Edward. Having rehearsals nearly every day after their classes turned out to be just the thing they needed. It wasn't that Bella had doubts about Edward's ability, it was a piece about emotion, and that was what she was most worried about. She had said it herself that there weren't that many ballet moves in the piece, she was just vulnerable and she knew it, but everyday she was becoming more comfortable with Edward.

They were spending more and more time together. Between lunches with the group and their rehearsal periods, they spent the majority of their afternoons together. Bella enjoyed Edward's company. He was a strange mixture of sarcastic and sweet. Sometimes the conversation would turn personal and it would make Bella slightly nervous but Edward never pushed, never prodded and it made her want to open up even more. She just wasn't sure if she could yet.

Edward was becoming one her best friends, and that both excited and scared her. He shared why he had taken ballet and she in turn told him that she had taken ballroom classes.

"I figured as much," he said about that last proclamation as they walked down the street one day.

"How?"

"That night at the club," he said in explanation with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah…" Bella bit her lip remembering that night in vivid detail. The first night she'd seen Edward. The first night she had felt his hands on her, that tingly electric feeling shooting through every limb. Ever since that night, her body had craved that feeling again. It was like a drug she had to have.

"You were far too precise with your moves to just have picked them up randomly. I was throwing some pretty complex moves in and you were keeping up just fine," Edward continued the conversation, having not noticed the shiver that caused goosebumps to erupt on her skin.

"Oh." Was her brilliant response, still distracted by the sudden pang of longing that shot through her.

There was a slightly awkward silence between them before Edward coughed and broke it, "So why did you take it?"

Bella shook herself out of her haze to answer him.

"It was actually my instructor's idea. Her husband was teaching it and she said it would help me become more lyrical."

He nodded, "Not your typical Ballet instructor then?"

Bella chuckled and shook her head, "No…Madame was…" she struggled to find an appropriate description for her old teacher, "her own breed in the Russian Ballet community."

"She was Russian?"

"Yes. Before she met her husband Anthony, she performed for the Moscow Ballet. She always said that she liked the American way of doing things much better. That's why she married one, at least that's what she told me. She always used to tell me that she learned the most important lesson of all from her husband. 'Isabella,'" Bella said trying to mimic Madame Christine's voice. "'You walk with zyour feet…you mast dance with zyour heart,'" Bella chuckled again. "It's probably the thing that's stayed with me through everything. Ballet can be such a stiff form. They say it's the artists dance…well I think that's crap. Why can't the everyday person enjoy ballet? That's one of the reasons that I chose to do this ballet. Everyone already knows the story, so it can reach a wider audience. I included other forms of dance as well as ballet in _The Shoe_. There are actually some ballroom dance scenes as well as some hip-hop."

"Really now?"

"Yeah. I mean ballet is the core of the production, but it's like what I show my classes. There's not a lot that you can do in flats that you can't do in Pointe shoes."

"So you kept up with ballroom then even after you left home?"

"Yeah I kept going to classes. Even though it was against Company rules."

"I heard that they didn't want you focusing on anything but them. It was one of the reasons that Alice wanted to come back home after her training."

"I get that. I wish I had that option." Bella transferred her gaze to her feet as they walked.

Edward reached out and touched her arm and she stopped walking to turn toward him. His eyes were soft with an unreadable emotion. "But you're here now," he said quietly.

Bella had to swallow the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "True. I am here now. Edward…"

"Yes?"

It was then that she came very close to telling him everything, but then she pulled back at the last second. "Never mind." And with that she resumed her walk, still feeling Edward's hand on her arm.

*~*~*~*~*EXB*~*~*~*~*

A few days later Bella was still thinking of that conversation. Maybe it was because she hadn't been able to see him this afternoon. She had skipped lunch with the crew because Maggie had called and needed her help. She was running late and had to rush to get to rehearsal with Edward. She couldn't help but think of the plethora of 'if's'. What if she would have told him? If she told him, what would he say? Would he look down on her? What would she do if he did? He had become so important to her in such a short span of time, could she stand to lose him now? No. She couldn't deal with that. She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell him.

"What do you mean you can't do it?" His voice stopped her in her tracks for a moment. She was startled to have him repeat her thoughts back to her. Could he read her mind?

The sudden wave of fear that last thought brought on were washed away by the second voice.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I just can't do this any longer," Bella heard a woman respond. Bella knew that she shouldn't be listening on to a private conversation that Edward was having with someone, but she couldn't leave. A thousand questions were rushing through her mind. Was this his girlfriend? Were they breaking up? And why did the thought of Edward breaking up with a potential girlfriend make her happy? As his friend, shouldn't she be upset for him?

"What do you mean you can't do it any longer? You gotta give me some reason, Vick." Edward pleaded.

"Edward," the woman sighed.

Edward cut in, "Can't you see what he's doing, Vickie?"

"I'm sorry Edward. I'm sorry, but I have to follow my heart," the woman said quietly. Bella listened as she heard her heels click across the wood floors toward her. A woman with wild red hair she knew to be Victoria Bradley one of the ballroom instructors, walked past and quickly exited through the double doors.

Bella rounded the corner just in time to see Edward smack the wall hard with his hand, "Damn it!"

Bella came rushing over to him, and put a hand on his arm, "Hey…what's wrong?"

He spun toward her and she immediately recoiled at the anger she saw in his eyes. She'd seen anger like that before and it didn't sit well coming from Edward. His eyes softened almost immediately as they focused on her and she relaxed as he did.

"Vickie just left me! We've been together for two years and now she just up and leaves me. Can you believe that?"

"Two years…" Was all Bella could manage. Thinking about Edward with someone was making her sick and she didn't quite understand why. She thought Alice had told her that Edward was single. That he and Bella would make a cute couple. Was he keeping her a secret from everyone? It didn't seem likely because she worked here as well, but it could be done.

He threw up his hands in exasperation. "What am I supposed to do now. I have a competition coming up. How am I supposed to practice or get choreography done?"

"Wait what?" Bella asked slightly confused. "What does choreography have to do with your girlfriend leaving you?"

"My what?" Edward looked as confused as Bella felt. Suddenly his eyes grew wide. "No! No, God no. Vickie's wasn't my girlfriend, she was my dance partner." Bella sighed in relief, but then started blushing at her mistake.

"Oh my god. I feel like an idiot right now. I'm sorry, please ignore me." Bella cringed and wished the world would open up and swallow her whole. "Back to your problem. You wanna talk about it?"

"I don't know what to say. She didn't give me any real reasons. I know why though. It's because of that creep James."

"James Carter? Blond, creepy James?"

"One and the same. You've met, I see."

"Yeah, the weirdo cornered me on my first day here."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"So was Alice. Is James becoming a problem for her?"

"She's been seeing him secretly for the last six months."

"What?"

"Yeah. I told her it was a mistake, but she said that she fell in love with him. Now he is making her quit dancing here. He's isolating her from what and who she knows. That's never a good sign."

Bella sucked in a breath, "No it's not." Edward looked at her curiously. She reached out with her hand and rubbed up and down his arm trying to calm him. "You'll think of something I'm sure." He looked at her hand and she withdrew it immediately, grasping it with her other hand behind her back.

"I should have time to find a replacement for the tournament in a few months, but what about my classes? Or the preparations for the competition?" He fell against the wall, resting his back there and looked at his feet.

Bella chewed her lip in thought for a moment, "Well…how about I help you out?"

"Really?" His shocked eyes met hers.

From the brightness in his eyes, Bella knew she'd made the right decision. "Yeah, you're classes don't interfere with mine. I can move my last class to practice in the auditorium or one of the rooms over here that are open so I can get out of there faster. You almost have the choreography learned for the showcase. If you have to work on things for your competition, we can change our schedule around so we have some time off."

"You'd do that for me?" Edward asked incredulously.

Bella nodded, "How about this, instead of rehearsal you take me through the routine you're teaching now and I can help you out starting tomorrow."

"You could learn it that fast?"

"I can try. It's been a while and I'm probably a bit rusty, but it shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Thank you Bella. You'll save me." Before Bella knew what was happening, Edward had swooped her into a huge hug, her feet dangling inches above the ground. Her arms went around his neck of their own violation and it scared Bella a little at how good it felt being in his arms, without the pretense of a dance move. She buried her face between his neck and shoulder and decided she'd worry about that feeling of coming home later.

*~*~*~*~*EXB*~*~*~*~*

It hadn't taken Bella much time at all to learn the beginners Rumba routine that Edward was instructing his classes and teaching it had gone off without a hitch.

"Hey, thanks for your help today in class Bella. I think they really like you. Not that I should be surprised. Everyone likes you."

"Thanks. I think…" She raised a brow at him. What was that supposed to mean? _Everyone likes you? _Was that even possible? More importantly did that include him? Bella didn't really know why it mattered, but it did.

"It's a good thing. Don't worry," Edward hastened to add.

They had done their showcase rehearsal today as planned. She wanted to make sure Edward was comfortable with the choreography before Alice and Rose joined them in a few days. Edward seemed to be deep in thought about something so Bella decided to leave him be as she put her bag together.

All of a sudden Edward broke the silence with a seemingly random question, "Did you mean what you said? That you'd help me with some of the competition pieces?"

"Yeah, of course," Bella said as she slipped her bag on her shoulder.

Edward's gaze was focused on his feet and he shifted his weight back and forth from one foot to another. His sweat pants moving with each sway. Was it just her or was he nervous about something?

"Well, I have the move break down sheet for this routine and," was all Bella heard before her mind wandered.

Bella liked that Edward was the kind of person that wrote everything down. It came in handy when you had to practice apart from each other and she'd found that he was good with descriptions when the moves differed from standard.

"Can I see it?" Bella asked putting him out of his misery early.

"Sure." He dug into his bag and pulled out a sheet of paper.

Bella read the headline and her eyebrows shot up. "The Tango?"

"Yeah…"

Bella took her bottom lip between her teeth as she read over the steps. She remembered them, what they looked like, how they were done, but this was _The Tango_. It was a sensual dance by nature. It wasn't as if they were strangers to sexual tension. She had felt it between them since that first look in the club and that had Bella worried. She looked up at Edward and he was looking down nervously at her. He was nervous about her answer.

How could she say no? She _had _said that she would help him and he jumped up to help her without asking any questions. How could she refuse him? She could keep herself in check for one dance surely.

"Looks good," she finally said reaching to put the paper in her bag.

"So can you help me?" He asked and she couldn't help but smile as she saw his eyes light up.

She gave him a small nervous nod. "Yeah. How about tomorrow at rehearsal? I have to get home. Mags is coming over tonight."

"Sure." He readily agreed and held open the door for her to head out of the room first. They walked out of the Academy in silence, which Edward finally broke before they parted ways. "I'll see you in class tomorrow?"

Bella decided to break the awkward tension with a joke. She laughed, "Like I would miss the Rumba…"

Edward seemed to believe her joke and he laughed as well. "Of course how silly of me." They stood there in the middle of the sidewalk for a moment just looking at each other.

There was something there in his eyes that Bella couldn't identify. It wasn't the first time she'd seen it though, it was something that often graced his features. A softness that almost always turned her to goo inside. He slowly reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear as it blew across her face.

"Good night, Bella."

"Good night, Edward," Bella said quietly before she made her way around the corner and to her apartment.

She didn't need to look back to know that he was standing there watching her.

~*~*~*~*~*~BXE~*~*~*~*~*~

It seemed like every thought strayed to Edward, as she prepared dinner.

"So tell me who is he?" Maggie had asked as Bella served up their pasta, her Irish accent making Bella smile even when discussing a topic she'd rather not..

"Maggie, I have no idea who you talking about," Bella denied, as she spooned some pasta into her mouth. Maggie shot her a look that told her that she wasn't getting away with anything. Bella swallowed what was in her mouth, sighing before she gave up. "His name is Edward. I told you about him once you know. That man in the club."

"Aye, I remember." Maggie nodded. "He the reason you're all smiles all the time?" Bella didn't answer, only rolled her eyes. "Don't you roll those pretty brown eyes at me. I'm just sayin' it's good to see smile, deary. You deserve happiness." They finished their dinner in relative silence.

After they settled down on the couch, Maggie continued the conversation. "So, tell old Maggie what's going on," she said as Bella laid her head in Maggie's lap and told her everything that has been happening. There was no way to keep it from her. They were too close for that. Bella owed her too much. And Maggie was so much like the mother Bella never had. Maggie sat patiently listening to Bella spill her heart out, while running a hand through Bella's hair.

Finally she addressed the one problem that encompassed it all. "Oh Mags, what am I gonna do? I can't stop thinking about him. It's like he's in every thought I have now a days. I just don't know if I can afford to give him my heart." She looked up and pleaded to the red headed Irish woman who, besides Alice and Jacob, was her oldest friend.

Maggie looked down at her and smiled softly, "Sweetie, you already have."

**End notes: Okay so there it is. What's gonna happen next? Well there might be Tango involved…maybe more, anyone want to see that sooner rather than later? Well then click that little button at the bottom of the page and review. TTFN!**


	13. Tango

**A/N: Okay so how are you all doing? So some of you said that I lost you on the last chapter...so just for reference not only is Edward helping Bella with her ballet Bella is helping with his ballroom. I know that this doesn't really work this fast in real life. Dancers take many days and even weeks to perfect their routines. It's easier if you just accept that Bella is just a dance prodigy and can pick things up really quickly. they learned the Rumba because that's the dance that Edward was teaching his class when his partner (victoria) bailed on him. Does that help explain things a little better?**

**The dance video reference for the Tango is **

**www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=RklndkgyCfI **

**and it's pretty much exactly like that with just a few adjustments for story purposes. Also there's a picture reference in this chapter I'll post that over on the forums for you all to see. Okay I'll see you at the end.**

Bella and Edward met the next day as planned and even though she tried to hide it, Edward could tell that something was different between the two of them. There was a distance between he and Bella that hadn't been there for some time now. It felt like they had taken steps back instead of forward and that wasn't a good feeling. He started to think that maybe he had pushed too much too soon. Alice had told him he would need to be patient and here he was pushing the Argentine Tango on her, perhaps one of the most intimate dances out there.

He would be lying if the thought of doing a Tango of any kind with Bella didn't excite him. Who wouldn't want to be able to caress her softly even if it was under the pretense of a dance? But maybe the thought of doing a dance like that was causing her to erect a wall between them. If he had to back down from the tango in order to get that closeness back he would.

"Are you sure this is okay?"

Immediately her back stiffened and her voice shot up an octave, "Yeah…why?"

It was evident to him that she was lying. "I don't know…I just thought…" He tried in vane to think of a delicate way to put it, but she cut him off.

"No it's fine. You ready to run thorough some of the moves?"

Edward wasn't anywhere near convinced but he decided to let it go, "Yeah, of course."

They ran through the routine like seasoned professionals, hitting the moves without much emotion behind them. It was almost unnerving for Edward. Seeing her like this, there was no fire behind her eyes. She might as well have been reading a book for all the emotion that lie there. Even though all that was true, she was surprisingly fast at picking up the choreography. By the end of rehearsal he wasn't that surprised to find they were running it quite smoothly. He was about ready to ask if she wanted to cut out early when she asked, "Can I hear the music?"

"Yeah of course." Edward jogged over to the stereo and pressed play on his iPod. It was pretty traditional as far as tango music came, it was deep with a driving string section and sensual rhythm. Bella closed her eyes as she listened and Edward watched her as her eyelids fluttered. About halfway through the song, Bella suddenly turned away. She walked a little distance away and he saw her shoulders rise and fall with a few deep breaths before she turned back to face him, "You wanna run it with the music? I know that when I want to figure out a routine that's always a big help."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." She smiled, but it was that fake smile that she used with everyone else. _Damn it!_ It wasn't his smile, the smile that lights up her whole face. The fact that he was now lumped in with people like Jeffery Ryan, that sleaze in his adult class that hits on her, made him want to lose his lunch.

"Okay…lets run it," Edward said, because in all honesty what else could he say. He would figure something out, but right now all he could do is agree with her and press play. He watched as Bella took her place across the way from him. She closed her eyes and began the beginning steps of the dance. When they met in the middle though she had to look at him to make sure the first lift would be right. There was still that professional distance, that wall of indifference for the first twenty seconds or so of the dance.

When they came to a point after the second lift, he noticed that she was avoiding looking him in his eyes. The next move required her to look at him and when she didn't he didn't feel like he was out of line when he reached his hand over to grab her chin. Her head jerked toward his and gone was that cold and distant Bella. As they rose to a standing position her eyes burned with liquid fire.

As they moved into a series of turns, it never dissipated. In fact, with each time her head turned toward his, it grew. Every time their eyes connected Edward could feel the fire seeping into his veins. This was different than all the other times they had danced this choreography. It had stopped being merely practice. He felt that familiar energy that he had felt when they had danced that very first time. After coming down from another lift, he got the opportunity to touch her outside of the dance frame. He stroked down her arm slowly and she grabbed onto the back of his head and pulled herself up to his height resting her forehead on his. They continued dancing that closely for a few steps before he spun her outward.

He lifted her easily into the next lift, gripping her legs he swung her into his arms bridle style. He never wanted to let go, wanted to hold her like that forever. It hadn't been in the plans to begin with, but now he thought it might be his favorite move. He let go of her somewhat reluctantly and continued the rest of the dance. She planted her feet and prepared for the spin lift. She straddled his thigh and he grabbed her leg and the back of her neck. He never let go of her neck as he ended the lift, for when her feet hit the ground for the last moves of the dance, he pulled her fully against him. Her arms wound around his mid section and he held her tightly.

The music ended but their embraced didn't. They stood there breathing heavily against each other. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest against his. He took in the essence of her while he could. Her scent, slightly musky with the hint of strawberries, he found it incredibly intoxicating.

He pulled back slightly wanting to take in her face while he was this close to her. He gently ran his nose down the side of her face to her chin, tracing a line back to her nose. He could feel her breath wash over his face and he couldn't wait any longer. He leaned in that last inch and pressed his lips to hers.

It was what first kisses usually were, awkward. After a moment Edward pulled away. Her eyes were still closed but this time it was her that leaned in. This kiss was different than the first, no sweet peck, this was a kiss of desperation, of hunger, of passion. He felt her hand thread into his hair and he did the same to hers, freeing many of the silky tresses from their elastic prison. Edward tentatively reached his tongue out and touched her bottom lip. Bella surprised him by opening her mouth with a groan. He decided he didn't need an engraved invitation. When their tongues touched, Edward let out a groan of his own. Suddenly, Bella pulled away from him with a gasp.

"No, no, no." She whispered as she placed her hand over her mouth. She took a step back shaking her head. "I…I can't…I'm sorry but I can't."

"Don't do that…Bella please don't do that…don't push me away!" Her eyes flashed to his, but he just continued. "Just give me a chance. Give _this _a chance." Edward gestured between them.

"I can't…I," she didn't finish, but turned to the door.

Edward caught her by the hand. "Bella wait!"

She spun around and Edward saw the flash of fear in her eyes, "Edward, please. You don't understand."

"So make me understand…What are you afraid of?"

"I'm sorry."

She said before she pulled her hand from his and ran out the door. Edward stared after her for a moment, his shoulders slumped and his head hung low. He had finally kissed her. He'd done something that he'd been dreaming about since he set eyes on her in that club. It was possibly the most amazing kiss he'd ever experienced and she'd run away.

He let out a sigh as he stared at the closed door. That was the most confusing part. It was Bella that had deepened the kiss. Unless he was drastically misreading the signals, it would seem as if she was just as into the kiss as he was. She was definitely giving as well as she got, but then again she did high tail it out of here quickly.

Edward had seen the emotions in her eyes. There was shock and disbelief, but what worried him most was the fear. When he had tried to stop her from leaving she had been genuinely scared for a spilt moment. It wasn't the first time that he'd seen that fear, but he'd never pushed her for more information.

Now he had a decision to make. He had made a push and she'd run, something that his sister had told him would happen, but now he had decide what to do next. He could just let it drop and back off or he could continue to push. Their relationship had already changed but if he continued to push, he would run the risk of never getting back what they'd once had. Then again he didn't know if he wanted to go back. He didn't know if he could resist the urge to kiss her now that he's had a taste.

What he wanted was some answers. He wanted to know what had caused her to pull away. Then he saw Bella's bag lying there in the corner. He stared down at the bag and decided this was his chance.

A plan began to form. He needed some information and he was going to get it one way or another…

Edward reached out and knocked on the door. He braced himself for a fight from the very beginning. He realized he would have about one minute before the door would slam in his face. He definitely wasn't expecting a short red head to answer the door.

"Can I help you?" She asked, her accent was unmistakably Irish. Edward looked from the woman at the door to the paper he held in his hands thinking that maybe he had gotten the wrong number address. No this was 925 North Vine.

"I was looking for Bella Swan. Does she live here?"

The woman at the door seemed to get more suspicious then. She closed the door a little more. "Why you looking for Bella?"

"My name's Edward Cullen. We work together over at the academy." Her eyes widened suddenly and a smile graced her face.

"Well that changes things I suppose. Come on in, no need to stand out here for the neighbors to see." She gestured for him to come in, so he did just that. "Bunch of nosey ones they are. I should know, I'm one of them." She laughed at her own joke as she closed the door behind her. "Bella didn't tell me that she was expectin' company."

"She wasn't exactly expecting me," Edward said uneasily shifting the bag awkwardly in the hand that he also held a bunch of flowers. The flowers had been a last minute idea. He figured they couldn't hurt. It was what they always did in the movies.

"Then you've somethin' to apologize for boyo?"

Edward looked up to see the sharp woman's eyes honed in on the bouquet. "Oh…I just…"

She chucked and waved her hand at him, "No need, I've already heard. Got her all shook up you did. Never seen her quite as flustered. She's in the bath right now. Should be out in a few minutes. Make yourself at home here, I'll just be in the kitchen."

"Thanks…" Although Edward wasn't exactly sure if he should be thankful for the images that were now being created in his mind. All of which involved a very wet, very naked Bella.

The woman must have taken the awkward voice drop as an inquiry about her name because she smiled and said, "Forgive me, I plum forgot. How rude of me. Mi name's Maggie"

So this was the Maggie that he'd heard about Bella spending so much time with. He understood why. She seemed like a very nice woman, very warm and comforting. "It's nice to finally meet you Maggie." Edward said sincerely.

"Not as nice as it is to finally meet you Edward." Edward meant to ask her what she meant by that but the woman had already left him alone in the living room.

Edward took this opportunity to look around. It was a nice sized townhouse. Seemed a bit large for a single woman, but the living room was light and open. There was overstuffed furniture and light colored wood tables to accent the light blue walls. Edward walked toward the bookshelf where he spotted some pictures. He started with a picture of his sister and Bella hugging at what appeared to be a club both with big smiles on their faces. The next was a performance picture, the kind that they use for advertisements and posters. Bella was alone in front of a backdrop in a white leo and skirt. She was in a perfect _pique_, her arms extended to her side and her right leg bent to her left one. She was beautiful. But her face was sad and turned away.

The next shelf held pictures of a much younger looking Bella and who he guessed was her father. Five year old Bella was wearing an adorable pink tutu and a smile and he had a look of complete love as he looked down at her. The next was of the same pair only older. He guessed it was from her high school years. She was in a pair of jeans and a bright yellow shirt with her arms slung around her father's waist who was in a Navy Blue Police Uniform holding a plaque. Bella stared up at him with the same love that he exhibited in the first one. She looked so happy, her eyes alive. Edward reached out and stroked the cool glass, wishing it was the real thing, wishing he could see that look again.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Her voice made Edward turn. He was about to launch into the reason he was here but what he saw made the words dry up. There Bella stood clad only in very short gray workout shorts and a thin tank top. Miles of creamy skin was left exposed, skin he had never seen before, including a small sliver between the bottom of her top and the waist band of her shorts, and he had to fight every instinct not to reach out for her.

He nearly lost the battle but was stopped short when he realized that she was holding a baby in her arms.

**End Notes: *hides behind computer desk* please tell me what you thought…I'll try to get an update done as soon as possible. I'll try not to leave you hanging for too long…**


	14. Chances

**A/N: **

**Hey y'all.**

**So let me give you the run down here. This chapter is on Bella, and it backs up a little from where our last chapter ended…so it should help refresh memory hopefully. **

**This chapter's song is **_**Chances **_**by Five for Fighting…Please take the time to read the A/N at the end for some very important announcements!**

_Doing that dance had been a mistake._ Bella had thought that she could handle it. That she could keep it professional and keep the dance separate from the part of her mind that was constantly on Edward. But she should have known better. The sexual tension was already nearly too much to bear, they didn't need to throw a passionate dance like the tango on top of all of that. It only took one unscripted touch for that wall that she put up between them to come tumbling down, for that dance to mean so much more.

She let the electric hum drown out everything else except for the fact that she wanted him. And oh God did she want him. She'd never wanted anything more in her life and the way he had looked at her, it was as if the feeling was mutual.

"Then it happened. He kissed me." Bella said to Maggie as she lay with her head in the old woman's lap.

"Then why are you crying, child?" Maggie asked quietly, concerned about her dearest friend.

Bella frantically wiped at her cheeks, not realizing that she'd started crying again. "Because…it wasn't supposed to happen. He shouldn't feel that way about me."

"And why shouldn't he? You are a beautiful woman and a wonderful mother to your daughter."

"He doesn't know about Abby, Mags."

Maggie ran her fingers through Bella's hair in a calming manner. "That's easily fixed. Just tell him."

Bella sat up suddenly. "It's not that easy and you know it, Maggie."

Maggie sighed, "You're the only one making it hard, dearie. Sweetie, every single parent goes through it…"

Bella pushed herself off the couch and turned to look at her friend, "What about the rest of it, huh? What if when he knows the truth he just walks out? How will I be able to look at him again, knowing that I sicken him so much?"

"Sweetie…" Maggie looked at her with sad eyes as she got off the couch.

"No. It's true. It can happen. I don't know if I can take that risk. I want to trust him and I want to believe, but what if he tells everyone else? I have work with these people…"

Maggie grabbed onto Bella's shoulders and shook her slightly. "Stop that, _now_."

Bella's head hung, "I'm sorry, its just…it's how I feel."

Maggie touched Bella's hair. "Well, you know how I feel. And I'm sure he'll feel the same. How could he not." With that, Bella rested her head on the older woman's shoulder. Maggie pat Bella's head and held her in a motherly embrace.

"How do I even go about doing this, Maggie?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tell him about Abby and…everything?"

"Well…I'm not sure sweetie. I'm really not sure."

Bella sighed before she pulled away slightly, "I think I'm going to go take a shower."

Maggie gave Bella the space she needed, "Okay dear. I'll go work on dinner." Bella turned away and headed toward the hall, "Bella…" Maggie called her back.

"Yeah?" Bella turned back,

"It will all work out, dearie." Maggie said with an encouraging smile.

"I hope so, Maggie. I really do." Bella walked into the master bath at the townhouse and turned on the shower.

While she was waiting for the water to warm up she walked to the hand painted white crib in the bedroom, to make sure that Abby was still sleeping. Bella smiled as she looked down at her daughter sleeping, her little fists curled up and the cute little 'o' her mouth made. Abigail was one of the few bright spots in her dark past.

Bella reached in and lightly touched Abby's cheek. She stirred slightly but didn't wake up . She did latch on to Bella's fingers with her small fist though. Her strong. little girl often gave her strength. She had to be strong for Abby's sake and she had been up until recently. But did having feelings for Edward make her weak? She didn't feel weak when she was with him, but her fears of how he would react nearly crippled her. Bella kissed her daughter softly on the forehead, carefully releasing Abby's death grip on her fingers before heading into the bathroom that was now filled with steam.

Bella sighed as the hot water made contact with her skin. The sting was a welcome distraction from her thoughts; as temporary as it may be. Eventually Bella became used to the heat and her mind began to wander. Still, Bella took her time in the warm water letting it soak into her bones, and loosen her sore muscles. Her mind went immediately to why her muscles were sore, and that lead to thoughts of dancing with Edward.

She pushed those thoughts away as quickly as she could, thoroughly rubbing the shampoo in her hair. However, that only let to remembering what it felt like when Edward held her while they kissed. She couldn't help but close her eyes as imagined it all over again. She could almost feel his lips against hers, soft but firm. It was electric, some strange pulse driving her to open up herself to him and she had followed it. It had been the best kiss of her life and she had put a stop to it. He had asked her to give him a chance and she had run like a bat out of hell, because he shouldn't have feelings for her. She was too complicated, and she'd be lying to herself and to him if she even thought otherwise.

But was it fair to make that decision for him? No. He at least deserved an explanation as to why she acted that way. It would be in his hands then. She would put the ball in his court and see what happened. So she resolved herself to call him this weekend and invite him to diner.

She stepped out of the shower and dried herself, tucking her towel around her and heading to the bedroom to pick out what to wear. She dug through a drawer and pulled out some comfortable clothes. She of course lost balance while pulling her shorts on and let out a quite curse. Moments later, she heard gurgling and laughing from the baby crib in the room. She smiled and threw her hair up in a messy, wet, pony tail as she went to get Abby.

"You think mommy's funny huh?" Bella asked as she cradled the small baby. Abby smiled and waved her little arms. "How's mommy's angel? Did you have a good nap sweetie? Auntie Maggie's here, I'm sure she's made you something too. You want to go see what she's up to?"

Bella continued to coo at the baby as she made her way from the bedroom to the living room. She heard something and looked up expecting to see Maggie but was met with a obviously male back. She had a brief moment of panic, thinking that he had found her, but she didn't relax much seeing that shock of copper hair. Her sudden fear made her next question sound more like anger than fear.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Edward turned around quickly. Bella watched as his eyes raked up her body. It looked like he was about to take a step toward her when he stopped short. "Um…I'm…" Edward stuttered his eyes now glued to where Abby rested in Bella's arms.

Maggie smiled widely as she entered the room, "There are my two girls."

"I see you've met Maggie." Bella flashed her eyes to her friend.

"Yes." Edward nodded now dividing his attention between Bella's face and the Baby.

Maggie seemed to feel the tension and broke it with a quite suggestion, "Why don't I take the wee one to my place for the night."

"Maggie, you don't have to do that…" Bella started to object.

Maggie gave her a stern look, telling her that argument would be futile. "You two need to talk, and you don't need some old busybody in the next room to overhear it. You can pick her up in the morning." Bella nodded and kissed the baby before Maggie took Abby from Bella's arms. "It was nice to meet you, Edward," Maggie said before leaving out the front door.

"What are you doing here, Edward?" Bella asked as soon as the door caught.

"You left your bag…" Edward indicated the bag by the door. "And I brought these for you." he held out the bouquet toward her.

"You did?" Her face softened for a moment as she reached out for the flowers. Then she turned her back to him and went off to the kitchen. "We both know I could have gotten my bag on Monday." She reached the counter only to see that Edward had followed her. She placed the flowers down and braced herself on the counter-top. "What are you _really _doing here?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I didn't know?" Edward hedged.

"No."

"Bella…I kissed you and unless I'm mistaken, you kissed me back. Then you just left. No you ran, and I was left standing there wondering what the hell happened? If I pushed too hard, too fast. Or that maybe I got it all wrong. Was I wrong?"

"No. No you weren't wrong Edward…it's just," Bella made her way past him back out to the living room.

"What, what is it? Is it because you have a daughter?" That made her stop in her tracks. Bella couldn't answer that. Abby wasn't the _only_ reason that Bella hadn't said something to Edward. When Bella didn't respond Edward continued. "Did you think that would matter to me? You have a kid…so what? It doesn't change the person that you are."

"I'm scared, okay?" Bella turned and interrupted him before he could say much else, because he was wrong. Having Abby _did_ change who she was.

"Scared of what?" Edward asked.

"I've never felt this way about anyone before Edward and it scares the shit out of me." Suddenly the words were just pouring out of her. "But what scares me more is the fact that I can lose you forever _so_ easily. Just by telling you about my past you would turn and run away."

He walked to her and caught her up but the arms. "Who said anything about running?"

Bella looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Edward, I'm not whole. I'm broken, but when I'm with you, I feel like I can just forget. I can put it behind me for even the smallest amount of time and feel normal. But that's not fair to _you_. You deserve more than all the baggage that I have."

"Bella, it doesn't matter," Edward pleaded.

"That's just it, Edward. It _does _matter. I know it does. No one wants to be involved with someone like me. I'm too much work, too much trouble." The tears were flowing freely now.

"You see…it's not just some stuffthat I have to work through. Its stuff that I have to live with for the rest of my life. I have a _baby_, I can't just do whatever I want to. There are things I have to think about, things I have to take in consideration. Things that you probably don't want to deal with and I don't want to force you the way I was."

"Wait a minute, what?" Bella shut her eyes and turned her face away from him. He loosened his grip on her arms and for that she was thankful.

"Bella….what did you mean by that?" When she didn't say anything she felt him slide his hands down her arms and grab her hands. "Bella…I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I'm here because I want to know you. Every piece of you, the good, the bad and everything in-between. I see you every single day but I feel like the only time I see the real you is when you're dancing."

Edward let go of her left hand and she opened her eyes when she felt him touch her face gently. "In your eyes, I see this pain and every cell in my body screams at me to take that pain away. But you have to tell me how." He wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumb.

"I don't know how," Bella said in a small voice, her breath hitching.

"Just try. All I'm asking for is a chance here Bella."

"Okay." Bella nodded looking in his eyes.

She decided that she was taking a risk letting him in, but she didn't think she had much of a choice any longer.

**End Notes: Okay so there we have a little bit more info on Bella, finally. More on her past WILL be revealed in the next chapter. I have it in the works right now and I promise you, you will finally know what is up with her. **

**Now…I said there will be some announcements and here they are...**

**1. I've written for both the Fandom for Storms and the Fandom for Sexual Assult Awareness charities. Both of these are very important causes and one is very close to my heart. I mention it because if you haven't already please go and check out their sites and think about donating to the charities. For your donations you will recieve the compilation of all the stories sent in by the authors. There are some truely amazing people that have signed up to write and the money will be going to good causes. For Fandom For Storms I'm donating the first chapter of a story that has been sitting in my files for a while. It's a country/western/romance called Under The Texas Sun, cowboyward...i think that's all i have to say. As for Fandom for Sexual Assult Awareness I sent in a OS that is complete and total fluff based on Carrie Underwoods song **_**All American Girl**_**. So again I ask that you please consider sending in a donation or at the very least checking out the sites their links are...**

**www(dot)fandom4stormrelief(dot)tumbler(dot)com**

**www(dot)fandom4saa(dot)wordpress(dot)com**

**2. My blog is hosting a contest called 'For the Love of a Man in Uniform'. It is a fic contest where we want to feature all those brave men and women that risk their lives doing a service to this nation. Police officers, military personnel, and many more are on the list. Please check out our contest page for all of the details the address is: **

**www(dot)twificreviewsa-z(dot)com/p/contest(dot)html**

**Oh and if you already didn't know…I'm newly addicted to twitter so if you want to hook up with my crazy ass over there feel free I'm **katiecav1989**. **

**Please take the time and review the chapter. I really love hearing from all of you.**


	15. Climbing Hills

**A/N: Hello there everyone! Okay so it wasn't **_**as **_**long of a wait for this one. I meant for this to come out much quicker but Real Life really kicked my butt. **

**The song that played while I wrote this chapter, was **_**Running up that Hill **_**by Placebo. **

**Okay so I'll see you at the end!**

Edward let out a breath he didn't know that he'd been holding. She had said okay. It wasn't an enthusiastic agreement but Edward was satisfied. He knew that he was pushing Bella, but it seemed that it was the only thing that got answers, vague as they were. Even confusing answers were better than none, right? All the same, Edward knew he had to tread carefully. Bella was scared and there was still a chance that she would pull away, but for right now she wasn't running.

Bella sighed and walked to the couch behind him and sat down. Edward regarded her carefully before following her.

"God, where do I even start?" Bella asked her shoes. Edward didn't want her being uncomfortable with confiding in him. No matter how much he wanted to know, he would never force her to say anything.

"Just tell me whatever you want to tell me." He told her softly.

She looked up at him quickly, and seemed to search his eyes for his honesty. Edward watched the emotions flicker across her face before it settled on resignation.

"I wanted to tell you. I really did. I had decided that I was going call you and ask you over for dinner this weekend and tell you about Abby."

"Abby…is that…"

"My daughter? Yes." Bella looked back down to her hands which lay resting in her lap.

Edward's mind was processing information so quickly. Something suddenly dawned on him. What if it was Jake? Was that why he so eagerly accepted this job to be closer to Bella and his daughter? Bella had assured him that they were only friends, but still. He had to know, he just had to be diplomatic about his question.

"Are you…Is her father around?" _There that wasn't so bad, _he thought.

"No." Was Bella's quite response.

Well that was a relief. As soon as Edward acknowledged that feeling, he felt guilty. Why was he relieved that Abby's father wasn't around? It wasn't fair to Abby. Nor was it fair to Bella. Raising a child on her own was probably a great cause of stress. It begged another question though. If Abby's father wasn't around, then it wasn't Jacob. If he's not the father, then who is? "Does he know?" Edward asked and then cringed…that wasn't supposed to come out.

"Of course he knows!" Bella's eyes flashed to his. Her voice held a harshness he'd never heard before. "He doesn't care, but he knows."

"He doesn't care? How could he not care?" Edward couldn't understand how someone be with someone as amazing as Bella and not care.

"I was just one in a long line apparently. When I ended up pregnant, everything suddenly became my fault and my responsibility." She looked him in the eyes again and all the fire seemed to leave them as she spoke again. "I sent him a picture when Abby was first born. He sent it back with a check. He sends me a check every other month. Hush money. I put most of it in an account for Abby's education. I didn't like the thought of him paying me to basically keep my mouth shut, but I had to spend some of it when my funds ran out while I was in Washington."

"So this was when you were in New York?"

"That's why I _left _New York," Bella corrected, turning her body on the couch to face him.

Edward's brow furrowed, he thought back to their earlier conversations. "I thought you left because of Jonathan."

"I did."

"So your argument with Jonathan…"

"Was because of Abby?" Bella finished for him and nodded in response to the question. "He wasn't particularly happy with me, but when I had told him the first time, he had been understanding and even comforting. I went to his office and he told me that we'd figure something out. A way to work around things. I thought that meant he'd find me a job answering phones or something. Then when I went to rehearsal that afternoon and…well you know the rest."

Yes, Edward _did _know the rest. How could he do that to her?

She had just told him that she was pregnant and he threw her out on her ass. There had to be regulations against things like that. "Wasn't that against your contract, him turning you away from the company without any real compensation? You did report him to the company, right?" Bella turned her head to avoid his gaze. "Bella…" Edward prompted her, knowing already by her avoidance what her answer would be.

"I couldn't." She answered quietly.

"What do you mean you couldn't?" Edward's voice rose in agitation.

Bella looked up pleadingly. "The sun pretty much shone out of Jon's ass to them and nothing anyone ever said would make them believe otherwise. Jon had been there for years. He was an ABA institution, and who was I?" She gestured to herself. "Just some replaceable ballerina…"

Edward couldn't let that slide by without saying something.

"Replaceable? Bella…I've _never_ seen anyone as talented as you. I've heard about your performances, I don't think you're as replaceable as you think.."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "If it came down to it, who do you think they'd believe?" As much as he hated to admit it, he saw her point there. "Jon, he was a brute to work with. He pushed everyone until we felt like breaking and then made us run it again. He was an egotistical, arrogant jerk. But he was an amazing choreographer and an expert at kissing ass. If I said one word against him, he could have me black listed from the entire industry and that was a risk I couldn't take. Dance is the only way I know how to make a living. He could destroy my reputation and my livelihood in one second flat and not even bat an eyelash. Jon could do anything he wanted to discredit me. He had that power and he abused it." Bella quickly looked back down at her lap.

"How do you know that he would do that?" Edward asked gently then when Bella looked up at him with tears in his eyes he knew. "Did he tell you this? When?"

"It wasn't a secret to any of us. We all knew. He made sure of that. He took every opportunity to remind us how small we were, how easily manipulated."

"What a jackass." He didn't know if he'd meant to say that either, but when Bella burst out into watery laughter he was glad that he did.

"Yes, he was," she told him with a shaky smile.

"How did you put up with him for so long."

Bella sighed again. "I guess part of what Jon said was true. I was numb, but it hadn't come from my father's accident. Working with him made me become that way. A dancer is only as good as her acting skills." Bella shut her eyes. "When Jon was at his worst, I just shut down. It made it easier to deal with."

"But you still confided in him?"

"I _had _to…Jonathan was…" Bella broke off suddenly and cleared her throat. "He was technically my boss." She continued her explanation. "I wouldn't have been able to dance in that condition. He needed to know that…I guess he figured the easiest way was to just get rid of me. He knew I didn't want anyone else in the company finding out, so I wouldn't call him out on it."

"And you didn't."

"No. I did just what he expected. I ran. I went back to Forks…had Abby and we were happy for while. Then money started getting tight…and then Alice called about an opening at her parent's Academy and it just seemed like this was our chance to put the past behind us and just start over. Have my private life completely separate from my professional one."

"I guess I can understand why you were a little gun shy to talk about it at work," Edward sighed. He really could.

"I told myself that I wouldn't get involved with someone I worked with; not again. So I distanced myself."

_Wait a minute, what did she mean by 'again'? Did that mean that it was someone at the ABA?_

But before Edward could ponder very long Bella continued. "But you were so sweet and no matter how far I pulled away, I felt like something was pulling me right back to you. And I wanted to tell you Edward, I really did. I just didn't know…"

"I know. I understand now," Edward told her, trying to calm her. He looked into her eyes for a long moment. "I just can't believe you've been in this all alone."

"Not _all _alone. I had Alice and Maggie. Now I have you. At least I hope…I mean if you don't want to get involved I understand. I…"

"Bella," Edward interrupted her tirade and reached out to touch her hand. "I have never met anyone like you in my life."

She looked up at him with worried eyes. "What do you mean?"

Edward then realized what she would have heard in his words, he had to reassure her. He reached up slowly and touched her cheek. Her eyes closed and she leaned slightly into his touch.

"I mean that, you are quite possibly the most amazing woman I've ever met."

Her eyes opened again, watching him in confusion. "How can you say that? You hardly know me."

"I know enough." He told her.

"No you don't," she said quietly before turning away from him and facing forward on the couch again.

Edward watched her for a few seconds, while he debated on what to do next. He had to convince her someway. "Well then, there's only one thing we can do about that," he said standing up.

"You're leaving." Bella stated sadly.

"So are you?" Edward said as he reached the front door.

"I am?" Came Bella's confused replay.

"Yes, you are." He spotted where her coat was hanging and grabbed it and made his way back to where she sat watching him with an adorable confused expression.

"What are you doing? Is that my…"

"Your coat? Yes." Edward held his hand out to help her up from the couch. She accepted it and rose to stand in front of him.

"What are you doing with it?" She asked still unable to see where he was going with this.

"I'm taking you to dinner, Ms. Swan, and I'm not taking no for an answer this time," Edward said holding her coat out for her to take.

"I can't go out like this!" Bella exclaimed gesturing to her outfit.

"I don't mind." Edward shrugged.

"Edward…" Bella rolled her eyes and started to walk away from him. Edward reached out to grab a hold of her wrist. "Just let me change, _please_," Bella implored.

"You promise you're coming back?"

"Yes." She answered shyly.

"So does that mean that you'll go out with me?" Edward asked with a smirk.

Bella bit her lip and nodded. "Yes. I would love to go dinner with you, Edward."

**End Notes: Okay then…first some shameless self promotion. I wrote a Collab with my Twi-mom MCGT for the Strictly Charlie contest and placed second! The story is now up on my profile and I would love for you to check it out! Now that your daily infomercial is over…What did you think about learning more about Bella's time in NYC? Huh huh huh? I wanna know so please send me a review…**

**Oh yeah. I don't know if I've said this before but just in case. I'm on twitter now katiecav1989 so if you want to stalk…I mean follow me over there, feel free.**


	16. First Dates and Second Chances

Chapter 16 - First Dates and Second Chances

Once in the safety of her bedroom, Bella took a deep calming breath. She'd let him in on one of the biggest secrets in her life and Edward hadn't run. No, he'd dug in his heels and refused to budge an inch until she agreed to give him a chance to prove that he was different. Bella felt her heart squeeze at the thought of putting herself out there, but she knew this was something she needed to do. She walked over and put her coat down on her bed before turning to the closet and threw open the door.

Bella had no idea what she should possibly be doing tonight so she really had no clue as to what she should be wearing. She flipped through the items quickly and decided to go with a dress, that was cute casual right? Isn't that what Alice had told her once? Edward had said that he'd wanted to take her dinner. Her eyes landed on a dress she hadn't worn in quite some time.

Alice had actually purchased it for her the last time that she had visited Bella in New York. Bella hadn't had much use for it since she left that part of her life behind. It was a layered blue cocktail dress that Bella really did adore. Each layer of the skirt got progressively darker until it ended just below her knee. She grabbed a pair of cute black heals that were low enough that she wouldn't have to worry about her feet falling off if they had to do a good deal of walking.

Bella quickly grabbed a strapless bra and a new pair of underwear and got dressed. She tore her hair from the pony tail holder and ran a brush through the already nearly dry mess that had formed since she had climbed out of the shower. She decided to just leave it down to dry the rest of the way naturally. She didn't really have the time to do anything else to it as Edward was waiting for her in her living room.

She looked at herself in the mirror and decided that a little makeup was probably appropriate. Bella did the bare minimum and then turned to leave when something on the vanity caught her eye. It was an old sliver locket that had once been her mothers.

She couldn't ask her mother for advice any longer, she hadn't been able to for quite some time, but whenever she wore her necklace it felt as if she was closer. Bella smiled and put it around her neck. Her mother could give her the strength that she lacked right now. She slipped on her heals and pulled on her coat and buttoned it and headed out to meet Edward.

She was hit with a sudden wave of absolute sadness when she didn't see him.

_He hadn't stayed? Had I taken too long? Had he rethought things already? _Bella thought as she felt her whole body fold in on itself.

Just then he walked out of the kitchen and her fit of despair was replaced by embarrassment as his eyes traveled her body. She was covered for the most part, but her coat covered the dress completely and left a good portion of her neck exposed.

"Bella…wow," Edward said in a hush as Bella came out of the hall and into view. "You're perfect."

Bella's blush deepened and she turned her face away. "I'm far from perfect."

"You just don't see yourself clearly, Bella." Bella wanted to argue but before she got the chance Edward continued. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," her voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, then… Shall we?"

Edward was the epitome of a perfect gentleman. He walked Bella to the car and opened the door for her, waiting until she was settled before closing it and going around to the driver side. There was soft classical music playing on the car stereo. It brought a smile to Bella's face.

"You can change it if you want?" Edward commented as he started the car.

"No, this is fine. Thank you."

They were true a few more minutes in silence, with only the soft strands of the symphony coming from the speakers. After a while, Bella became impatient.

"Can I know where you're taking me yet?"

Edward chuckled lightly in response. "No. It's a surprise."

Bella sighed, "I hate surprises."

"You hate surprises?"

"Yes. I always have, even as a little kid." Edward made no response. "You're really not going to tell me?"

Edward laughed, "Don't worry, Swan, we don't have much farther to go." A few minutes later Edward pulled up into what Bella assumed was a community parking lot.

"We'll have to walk from here, I'm afraid," he told her before hopping out of the car and jogging around to get her door to help her out of the car. "Ms. Swan?" He asked as he extended his arm for her to take. Bella blushed furiously but slid her arm through his. It wasn't like she wasn't familiar with the gesture. She'd been 'escorted' many places before but never did it feel like this. She felt like her whole body was warmer than it had been without his touch.

As they emerged from behind the buildings, Bella was finally able to pinpoint the area of town that they were in. It was known for trendy hangouts and upscale restaurants. There was actually an Italian restaurant that had reached national acclaim here that she'd always wanted to try. They only walked a short while before that very restaurant's awning came into view.

"I've always wanted to go here!" Bella exclaimed as soon as the lettering became clear enough to read. "How did you know?" Bella asked, turning to face Edward with a beautiful smile that lit up her face and made him speechless for a few moments.

"I didn't. Lucky guess. I'm glad you approve though." Bella said. Edward smiled down at her as they approached the door. Bella and Edward both saw the sign at the same time.

"Closed for Renovations!" Edward exclaimed. "You've got to be kidding me?" It wasn't a question that required an answer so Bella didn't respond. Edward turned to her, "Bella, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault the restaurant is closed, Edward. You didn't know."

It was quite for a long moment. "Hold on…I got it. Come with me." He grabbed her hand and led her down the sidewalk.

"Where are we going now?" Bella asked with a chuckle.

"There's this other place I know."

"That sounds mysterious," Bella commented wryly. Suddenly she was standing in front of a non-descript, gray stone building. "What is this place?"

"In my opinion, the best place to get a burrito in Seattle," Edward explained, ushering her to a door. Bella noted the wooden sign hanging above it that read Angel's.

"Oh really now, _the _best?" Bella asked as she took in the sites and sounds of what could only be described as a very large cantina. They were standing in the bar area and there was loud music coming from somewhere, but Bella couldn't see where. "Been here quite a few times, huh?"

"A couple yeah." Edward smiled down at her.

"Edward!" A small dark skinned woman shouted in surprise as she approached the hostess stand.

"Hey Maria," Edward greeted her like he would a life long friend.

Maria glanced over at Bella and her smile faltered, but only for a moment. She turned back to Edward as she reached in a basket for two menus and two place settings of silverware rolled in a napkin, "I'm afraid you're regular table is taken. It's dance night and we're a bit busy."

"Anything you have available will be fine."

"Anything for our favorite customer." She told him smoothly with a wink.

Edward gestured for Bella to go in front of him. "A couple of times?" She raised a brow at him.

"Yes, a couple times…a week." Bella laughed out loud and Edward chuckled along with her. "Thanks Maria," he said as she laid down their silverware and menus.

"Anytime, Edward." The woman purred in her accent and gave him the best come hither stare she could, but having failed at getting his attention, she left giving Bella a parting sharp glare.

Bella scoffed as soon as she was out of ear shot. "What?" Edward asked her.

"Nothing," Bella muttered as she began to take off her coat.

"Here let me help you with that," He helped her pull her arms free of their restraints.

"Thank you," Bella told him quietly turning to see him staring at her. She began to feel self conscience after a while. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah…sorry." Edward shook his head as if it needed clearing. "Here you go." He placed her coat on the back of her chair and pulled it out for her to sit down.

"Thanks," Bella said as she shyly took her seat and preceded to hide behind her menu.

She could feel Edward still staring at her. She shyly looked up and he smiled and looked away quickly. Bella bit her lip and went back to studying the menu. The waiter came over and introduced himself as Reese. Placing bowls of chips and salsa on the table, he took their drink orders and gave them a few minutes to peruse the menu.

"So, since you're such an expert on the food here, what is it that you suggest?" Bella asked Edward after a moment of studying the menu.

"Well, I always get the same exact thing."

"Why's that?"

"I'm a creature of habit, I guess." Edward shrugged.

Before he could say anything else, Reese the waiter returned placing their drinks down on the table, "So, have you decided?"

"I'm gonna have the house beef burrito," Edward told him with a smile at Bella.

She chuckled and rolled her eyes and gave their waiter a smile. "I'll have the chicken empanada, please. No guacamole."

"Okay, I'll have those right out to you," he responded, his eyes still on Bella.

"Thanks." Edward told him shortly.

The man's eyes snapped back to Edward's before he murmured something incoherent and walked away. Bella reached out and took a sip of her margarita and everything was quiet for a moment.

"Tell me something," Edward broke the silence as he took a drink from his bottle.

"What?" Bella asked, taking a bite of tortilla chip and salsa.

"What you were like as a kid?"

Bella shook her head confused, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know how passionate you are about dancing and that it started when you were young, but what else did you do? Where you into sports?"

Bella barked out a laugh, "No. Sports aren't really my thing. I mean I grew up in a house with just my dad so I get the ideals. I can watch football and yell at the screen as well as anyone," she pumped her fist in the air half heartedly and Edward couldn't help but laugh with her.

After their laughter died down, she continued.

"But other than that, I didn't do much other than dance really. It was my life, where I was able to find my center. Life made sense when I was on the dance floor. I didn't feel out of place or so alone when I was dancing." Bella cleared her throat before continuing. "If I wasn't dancing, I was studying. I had to keep my grades up after all. That was a stipulation from my dad. We both knew that I wanted to dance but we didn't want that to be my only option. I was actually on my way to being valedictorian when I was accepted into the ABA."

"That doesn't really surprise me much, Swan," Edward said with a small smirk before firing another question my way. "What's one of your favorite memories from childhood that doesn't involve dance?"

"Okay, I'll tell one but you have to go next," Bella smiled as she took another bite from her chip.

"That's fair enough," Edward conceded. She absently twirled a chip in the salsa bowl as she began.

"I was probably about eight or nine at the time, and my dad had the day off. He was going to go down to the lake to fish with one of his friends his son. For some odd reason, I got it my head that I wanted to join them. Seth and I were fine in the beginning. We really were excited to see each other. It'd been a while since we've hung out between my ballet lessons and his schooling and it was beginning to get to us." Bella brought the now slightly soggy chip up to her mouth and ate it. She sighed and continued her story.

"After a while though, the excitement wore off and we quickly became quite useless, and more than a little whiney. Seth had said something that upset me. I don't even remember what it was now, but it really aggravated me." Bella chuckled, already knowing where the story was going.

"I shoved him and well…needless to say sleepy children do not equal good balance and we ended up turning the boat over." Bella and Edward were both laughing now. "I still remember my dad's expression when it happened. It was a strange mixture between anger and surprise."

"How did you manage to overturn the boat?" Edward asked still laughing.

"Well, I shoved Seth and he rocked a little too far and fell over the side. His dad reached to grab him and the mixture of the sudden shift on that side caused the little fishing boat we were in to flip. Luckily we weren't that far away from the shore when it happened, but it certainly ended our trip early. That was the last time our dads took us fishing. We always had to stay back with Seth's mom after that."

"So fishing isn't your sport either?"

"No, not at all," Bella answered with another chuckle. She swiped another chip from the basket. She smiled as she looked out onto the dance floor.

There was a pair of dancers getting quite a bit of attention. It was clear that they had some training and talent, but they were showboating and that annoyed Bella. The blond man made eye contact with her while he was still dancing with his partner and gave her what he probably thought was a sexy look. Bella scoffed and turned away.

"What?" Edward asked with a confused smile.

"The dancers," Bella explained grabbing another chip trying to shake off the feeling that the blond man's stare had given her.

Edward also scoffed when he observed the couple. "I know them."

"You do?" Bella raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yeah. They compete in Latin dance. That's Mike Newton and his partner Jessica Stanley. They've won the intercity competition for the last three years."

"You've competed against them?"

"I haven't actually competed in the city tournaments in quite some time."

"Why?"

Edward sighed and took a long pull from his beer. "Tanya."

"Who's Tanya?"

"Tanya was my partner. She and I had been together since high school. She had moved in from Alaska our freshmen year and we were placed in the same dance class. I was the only one without a pair so we worked together. We found out that we got on really well. We were both very driven, very…intense I guess you could say." Bella nodded in understanding. She understood that feeling, that drive to be the best. It used to be all she was about. Not anymore.

Edward continued, "When we started winning competitions, we realized that not only did we get along, we were actually pretty good. Everything was fine for years, but when Carlisle and Esme took over the Academy, things started to get a little tough. Tanya didn't like the fact that we were now dancing 'for' the school. She said it made her feel like she was nothing more than cheep advertising, but I managed to calm her worries for a little while. Once things had settled down, I noticed that there was a new tension between us that wasn't there before."

Edward took a moment to clear his throat.

"Then three years ago, she just leaves. She doesn't give me a reason, just takes off in the middle of the night like a ghost. I find out three weeks later that she had decided to go and work with another dance school."

Bella's brow wrinkled in confusion. Why would the woman go and work for another dance school if she hated the Academy so much?

"But I thought…"

"Evidently, even Tanya had a price, and what she had was no longer enough for her."

There was something in his voice that told Bella that Edward had been more than just partners with Tanya. Had that been why he had said that they had been together as opposed to dancing together? The bigger question was why did it bother her so much that it was a possibility?

"You loved her," Bella stated rather than asked.

"I thought I did," Edward said, looking down at the table. "I'm beginning to realize that I was more in love with the _idea _of Tanya than her. Things haven't been the same since she left. I know that. I stopped going to competitions because I was fearful that I was going to see her, that she would realize how vulnerable I was as a dancer."

"What do you mean?"

"In the past three years, I can't tell you how many partners I've been through, and not a single one of them had ever come close to the same level of connection I had felt with Tanya. If you don't have that connection when you dance, you might as well not dance at all. My partners were okay for teaching classes but never for competitions."

Bella opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by a round of applause. She looked to the dance floor in time to see Mike bring Jessica out of whatever lift they had just done.

"Now they're just trying to show off," Edward scoffed in disapproval. "Mike's always had a bit of an ego. Thinks he's god's gift to ballroom," he said before taking another drink. Then the announcer came over the microphone and issued a dance challenge to the room.

Though they were still dancing, Mike was no longer staring at his partner but at Edward and Bella's table. Bella could see this for what it was. It was a direct throwing of the gauntlet.

Mike had seen Edward and recognized him just as Edward had done and now he was issuing a contest. Bella squared her shoulders and rose from her seat.

"Bella?" Edward looked at her in surprise, "You want us to accept the challenge?"

"Why not?"

"We don't have anything ready."

He was right. They didn't have any Latin Freestyle worked out yet, but the way they danced together in the club on the first night told her that they didn't need anything prepared. Once they figured out the rhythm it would be easy to work out what style to dance.

"Do you trust me, Edward?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

"Then dance with me," Bella smiled and extended her hand to him.

A slow smile spread across his face. "I would love to dance with you, Ms. Swan."

A song that Bella knew quite well began to play and she was beginning to feel very good about this. It had a slower sultrier feel than the music that was playing before. In Latin Dance, it was often harder to come up with a freestyle to a faster song than a slower one. She was pleased to see that they weren't the only couple that had come to the floor. Evidently, Mike and Jessica hadn't scared everyone off, there was at least one other couple.

Edward and Bella stood back and let the other couple go first. They would take over about half way through the song for their turn on the dance floor. Edward pulled Bella to stand in front of him in his arms as they faced the stage. A shiver ran down her spine.

"Are you cold?" Edward asked concerned.

"No," Bella answered quietly. As they watched the first couple perform Bella was mentally trying to figure out what dance they should perform, but Edward's closeness was distracting her. He was touching her in the most subtle way and it was driving her crazy. It was like her senses were on high alert when he was near.

About halfway through their part, Edward leaned down and whispered "Samba" in Bella's ear and she nodded, shivering lightly as his warm breath tickled her neck. She tried to distract herself by going over the moves in her head.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked her once again, leaning closely to be heard over the music.

"Yes," she answered quietly.

They made their way from the sideline onto the dance floor. Bella swayed her hips to the beat as they made their way to the middle. Edward grabbed her right hand and locked in their frame and it felt like they had been dancing this for years not months. They spun around the dance floor to the rhythm of the music making each move smooth yet precise. Each twirl of Bella's hips made her layered dress fly up and swish around her thighs. They did a series of break away spins, where Bella spun from one side of Edward to the other. Each time coming to a stop when she was right beside him extending their arms to make a strait line.

Edward pulled her close as they moved into a different kind of spin. With Bella straddling his right leg, she brushed up against something rather hard. Her eyes widened when she realized exactly what it was. Bella quickly broke rank and spun away from him, turning her face away from him momentarily. Edward wouldn't allow that for long though and a gentle squeeze of his fingers on her back brought her eyes back to his.

There was only a momentary slip up before they grasped hands once more and moved into the next section of the dance, a basic Samba heal-toe crossover step that transitioned into a forward shuffle change and two spin steps and another samba box step. A set of side by side steps and directional spins followed by a straight back and forth heal-toe exchange and a few more straight turns brought them to Bella's favorite part of this dance.

It was a sequence that held perhaps the most difficult move in Latin dance, the Samba roll. The sequence started out with some side by side kicks and a few more pull spins. When Bella hit her mark at the end of the second spin, Edward grabbed her from behind and pulled her back to his chest, and Bella couldn't help but smile as they did it perfectly. When she stepped out of it, she knew they were nearly done.

A few more linear shuffles across the floor with Edward still behind her and a small bit where Edward danced around her and they ended the dance face to face. Edward pulled Bella to him once more and she rested her hand on his chest as she looked into his eyes.

A soaring round of applause was heard and Bella and Edward took a small bow along with the other couple.

The DJ announced something along the lines that they couldn't possibly pick a winner, which was fine for Bella. She knew that this was just Mikes way of trying to call Edward out and they had just responded. Bella moved to leave the dance floor but Edward pulled Bella back to his chest as another song began to play over the stereo system. Bella chuckled as they swayed to the rhythm on the dance floor.

"That was fun," she smiled up at him.

Edward returned her smile with one of his own. "It was, wasn't it? I'm glad you suggested it."

"I have been known to have good ideas on occasion."

"That's good to know," Edward smiled as he spun her and playfully dipped her. Bella came up laughing this time and Edward joined her. "You're so beautiful when you laugh," Edward whispered and touched her cheek. Bella blushed at his words and closed her eyes leaning into his touch.

"Bella…"

Bella's eyes opened and met his piercing green ones. They were staring back at her with an intensity she had seen in his eyes once before; in the club the night they first met. She knew what it meant. It meant that he wanted her and in that moment she wanted him as well.

"Well, isn't that special. Edward Cullen, as I live and breathe," a man's voice called out, forcing them to break eye contact.

"Mike," Edward said tersely as he stepped to the side of Bella.

"Why don't you introduce me to your beautiful partner?" The blond man asked with a smirk.

"Mike Newton, Isabella Swan. Bella this is Mike."

"Nice to meet you, Mike," Bella tried to remain as friendly sounding as possible, even if she was slightly perturbed that this man had quite possibly ruined another opportunity for her to kiss Edward. She extended her hand for him to shake.

"Not as glad as I am to meet you, Ms. Swan." He took her hand but kissed it instead. He was probably trying to be seductive, but it only made Bella uncomfortable. "It's so good to see a fresh face in the dance scene."

"Well, I'm not exactly new to the dance scene, Mr. Newton," Bella smiled at him finally managing to get her hand back. She tucked it with her other one in the crook of Edward's arm.

"Please call me, Mike. I'm sure that if I would have seen you before, I would have remembered you. I wouldn't forget a beautiful face like yours," he said as Bella scoffed under her breath. Edward tightened his grip on her slightly. Mike's gaze seemed to narrow on where Edward and Bella were joined. "Has Edward been hiding you away somewhere?"

She tried to ignore the uneasy feeling.

"No, I just arrived here in Seattle a little while ago. I teach with Edward at the Academy." Just then, the brunette who had been dancing with Mike joined him.

"There you are Mikey. Who are your friends?" she asked, giving Bella a pointed look. If she thought Bella was trying to move in on her man, she was sadly mistaken.

"You know Edward, but this is his partner, Isabella Swan."

Her face suddenly cleared and her eyes widened.

"Oh my god! Isabella Swan! _The_ Isabella Swan? I saw you dance in New York with the American Ballet. You were Giselle. It was magnificent. My sister went into ballet because of you," the woman said all in a rush.

"Thank you, um…" Bella's sentence stalled out not remembering the woman's name.

"Jessica. Jessica Stanley." The brunette told her.

"Jessica," Bella said with a smile.

"I didn't think they let you out of your little box at the ABA," Mike commented with a sneer. Bella could tell from the look on his face that he'd probably had to deal with some of the worst people in her profession. There were a few ballerina's that were slightly obsessive about things like their weight, and such. Some stopped eating all together. Bella didn't have that problem.

"Well, I'm a bit far away from the ABA now and I can't speak for others in my profession, but I don't like to be defined so narrowly. I'm not _just _a ballerina. I'm a _dancer_."

"And a good one at that," Edward smiled down at her and Bella's fight left her completely.

"I wish I could move my hips as smoothly as you do," Jessica sighed.

"Thank you, Jessica. That means a lot coming from a city champ." Despite that first occurrence, Bella was beginning to like Jessica.

"Are you going to be at the invitational this year?" Jessica asked Bella hopefully.

"Um…" Bella didn't know how to respond. As far as she knew, she was merely filling in until another partner could be found for Edward. As much as she'd love to be his dance partner at the competition, she didn't know what he had to say about the matter.

"Yes." Edward suddenly answered. Bella looked up at him in surprise.

"Isn't that great, Mikey?"

"Yes,I'm _thrilled_," he said in a sarcastic tone. "Bella, would you do me the honor of joining me for a dance?"

"Um…" Bella cut her eyes back to the blond man.

Edward came to the rescue again, "Bella, I think our food is here."

"Oh, so it is," Bella said. "It was nice meeting you both." She waved to the pair as Edward lead her back to the table. "Thank you for saving me there," she said as Edward pulled her chair out for her once more.

Edward leaned over the back of her chair and whispered in her ear, "Bella, if you think I was going to let Mike Newton get his hands on you tonight, you are sadly mistaken."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*ExB*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A strong breeze blew in between the buildings on the street making a whistling sound. Bella was thankful that she had the foresight to grab her coat because the fall air had definitely chilled since the sun had set. She pulled it closely around her as Edward walked her to her door.

"I had a great time tonight," she told him cutting her eyes shyly toward him.

A smile slid over Edward's face. "I'm glad, Bella. I did too. Dancing with you tonight, it was like that first night," Edward told her earnestly as they reached the front door of her townhouse.

Bella smiled and reached in her pocket and retrieved her keys. She had just put the key in the lock when Edward touched her arm and very quietly said her name. Bella turned to face him and nearly stopped breathing. Edward leaned in slowly, but unlike before, Bella didn't feel the need to shy away from his advancement.

Her eyes slipped shut for a moment and her lips parted in anticipation. She never felt the pressure of his lips on hers, instead she felt him tuck her hair behind her ear and his warm breath washed over her. His fingers traced from her cheek down her neck and all the way down her arm.

"Thank you Bella, for giving me a chance," he whispered in her ear. She shivered again but it wasn't from the chill this time. He brushed his lips her cheek and he pulled away.

Bella fell against the door for a moment. Her eyes opened and she saw that Edward was already halfway down the walk.

"Edward!" She called out and ran to him. He looked at her in confusion. "Would you…would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow? I'm having a few of my neighbors over and we're celebrating Maggie's birthday." A slow smile was creeping across Edward's face and Bella averted her eyes as the rest came out in barely a whisper. "I'd really love it if you would be there."

Edward leaned down and met Bella's gaze. "On one condition."

"What?" Bella asked shyly biting her lip.

"Let me help you with the meal."

Bella couldn't help but laugh at that. She'd heard horror stories about Edward's cooking for years. "You want to help me cook?"

"I'm not completely helpless." His grin twisted into a lopsided smile, "Besides, it's my only excuse for spending more time with you."

Bella felt her cheeks heat and she bit her lip again. "Okay," she murmured and she nodded her head.

"Good. What time would you like me to come over?"

"Um well, I told people that dinner was going to start at five with some snack stuff before hand, so I'll have to get it ready early. Is noon too soon for you?" Bella made eye contact with him again.

The smile Edward wore know was a wide one. "No, it's perfect. I'll see you tomorrow at noon." He reached down and grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed it gently before he whispered goodnight and watched as she went back to her door and closed it behind her.

Bella fell heavily against the door. Her hand still felt like it was tingling from where his lips touched her there. She brought her hand up to her cheek and smiled thinking of the kiss he'd placed there as well. She didn't know how long she stood there in the dark smiling, but eventually her phone rang. She reached in her jacket pocket and pulled it out, only sparing a passing glance at the caller ID.

"Hi," Bella sighed into the receiver. Even she could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'll be over in five minutes," was Alice's quick high pitched response.


	17. Amazing Grace

**A/N: Okay so i know...you all thought i dropped off the face of the earth...if you don't follow me on twitter that is. If you do follow me on twitter feel free to basically skip to the end of this authors note. My real life has been pretty insane lately. I've been making choices and changes that are pretty much completely re-hauling my life, but it was needed. That and the fact that all of a sudden i was being pulled in about 14 different ways by my other fandom projects meant that my own writing has suffered. I can't say I'm sorry enough. I hope i haven't lost too many of you. I wish I could promise you that something like that won't happen again but I can't. I don't make promises that I'm not sure I can keep. Like I said my real life is sort of hectic right now. Anyway that's not why you're here reading this chapter...**

** I wrote this chapter to a Nicki Minaj song called Save Me. Usually I'm not all that into rap but I really like this song. Now I'll see you at the end.**

Chapter 17 – Amazing Grace

Edward hustled from his building and into his car. It was 11:50 by his watch and he had about ten minutes before he had to be at Bella's. As he wove in and out of the Seattle traffic he thought back to the roller-coaster that yesterday had been. When she had run out of the studio he thought for sure that he'd blown his chance. When he'd gone after her, the day had certainly made a turn toward the unexpected. Never in a million years would he have thought that Bella had a child. She'd talked some about her past but she'd left that integral piece of information out. Now that he thought about it, he realized that she didn't talk much about New York at all. Whenever she talked about it, her walls would go right back up. Now he knew why. Not only was it to protect herself but to protect her child too.

Abby.

Yesterday he'd reacted without really thinking. He'd had a chance to consider things more carefully when he had gotten home. The attraction between he and Bella was undeniable. He felt this unexplainable draw to her. It was more than just physical attraction, though that certainly was there. He felt a need to protect her that he'd never felt for anyone other than his immediate family. Now though, he wouldn't only be taking on Bella, but a little girl. Was he ready for that? He wasn't getting any younger, but was he ready for a family? It was at that point in the night he realized what he was considering doing.

Bella was willing to give him a chance, something that he'd _asked_ her for and he was sitting in his room debating over taking it. How would that make him any better than the bastard that had abandoned her before? It wouldn't, it would make him worse. Far worse. Bella was all he'd ever hoped for in a woman. She was caring and compassionate, fiery and fragile all in one.

That thought had brought a smile to his face last night and it had the same effect now. She was fiery alright. She had stood toe to toe with Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley and showed them up with class. He also knew that she was more vulnerable than she wanted anyone else to know. That was why he'd gone back and forth about kissing her. In the end he thought he'd made the right decision. As much as he wanted to feel her lips against his again, he knew she wasn't ready for that. He pulled to a stop in front of Bella's place and he made the decision to let her set the pace and just follow her lead. He could be patient when he wanted to be, as long as he could be with Bella and she knew how he felt. He looked down at his watch, 12:10, shoot he was late. He cut his engine and made his way quickly to Bella's door.

He took a moment to straighten out himself before knocking. It took a moment before the door opened but when he saw her there he couldn't help the smile that spread over his face. "Hey." She looked like she had probably dashed to the door. Her hair was thrown in a haphazard ponytail high on her head but several pieces had already fallen down around her face.

Her eyes went wide for a moment, "Hi." She leaned on the door. "You're actually here?" She sounded surprised that he'd actually shown up. Edward didn't know what to make of that. He decided just to table it and think about it later.

Edward tried to give her his most charming smile. "I said I would be."

"Yeah, but..." Edward didn't know what she was going to say because she shook her head and changed the topic. "Never mind. Come on in." She stood back from the door.

"I'm sorry that I'm late. Traffic was heavier than I thought it would be." He noticed that she was wearing an apron that was already spattered with the remnants of food. "You started without me?"

She looked down self consciously and Edward almost immediately regretted pointing it out. "I just started working on the sauce," she told him in a quiet voice. "We're making my grandma Swan's recipe for lasagna."

"We are?" He liked saying _we_. He also liked that he was part of a _we. _Particularly since the _we_ was with Bella.

Bella nodded, "It was requested by the birthday girl herself," Bella explained with her back to him as she shut the door behind him. When she turned toward him she was biting her lip and avoiding his gaze.

"Well then. Lead the way." She nodded and Edward followed her to the kitchen. It was relatively large for a townhouse this size. The cabinets were made of pale wood and capped with a gray ganite counter-top. In the middle of the kitchen was an island where it looked like Bella had been hard at work.

"Would you like to have a seat?" She asked him gesturing to the two stools that were along side the island. Edwards affirmative nod went unnoticed as she turned to the sink to wash her hands. It was clear that Bella was uncomfortable and Edward was racking his brain to find a way to fix it.

When Bella turned from the sink she had a large kitchen knife in her hands. "I knew that coming over without telling anyone was a mistake."

Bella looked confused before she chuckled and looked down to what she was holding. "No...your safe. I talked to Alice." A blush nearly as bright as the tomato she pulled out of the bowl on her left bloomed across her cheeks. What was it that Alice had told her?

Edward knew all about his sister's late night visit to her friends house. Edward chuckled once, "I know, she called me as soon as she left your house last night."

Bella looked up and ceased her dicing, a wrinkle creasing her pretty brow, "She did?" Edward nodded thinking of his conversation with his sister last night. "Wha-What did she say?" Bella stuttered out, tucking a hair behind her ear.

_That it was about time. That I owed her a big I told you so. _Edward thought. He didn't tell that to Bella though. He decided to stick with the basics. "Nothing much." Okay so that wasn't all that true...but there wasn't a heck of a lot that he could tell Bella about their conversation that wouldn't send her running for the hills or embarrass her exceedingly. "She just told me that you were happier than she's seen you in a while." When Alice had told him that, he thought his own heart was going to burst. Bella deserved happiness.

Bella looked down at her hands and muttered something that sounded a lot like, "Damn Pixie."

Edward couldn't resist. He had to hear it from her, "Were you?" He asked her and then felt the need to clarify, "Happy?"

Bella bit her lip and looked up at Edward from beneath her lashes. "Very much so."

"How about now? Are you still happy?"

A slow smile spread across her face. "Getting there." She smirked up at him for a moment before turning back to her chopping.

Edward's curiosity got the better of him after a minute of silence, "So what did Alice tell _you_?"

"She...she was really surprised you volunteered to help cook today." She looked back up at him. Her look was serious before she smiled suddenly, "because apparently you can't boil water."

Edward straightened in his chair. Alice wasn't supposed to make him look _bad_. It looked like he was going to have to have another conversation with his sister. "I take offense to that. I can boil water quite effectively."

Bella bit her lip, "Really? That's not what I heard." A laugh escaped her and he groaned.

"That was one time!" She bit her lip to keep from laughing again as he leaned over the island and tried to explain, her shoulders shaking with the silent laughter. "It wasn't even my fault. I'm sure Alice left that part out. If the little brat hadn't distracted me..." Bella burst out laughing now and Edward couldn't help but join her.

"I'm sorry...but...your face..." Bella said in between her laughter. The seriousness between them had effectively been broken and Edward decided that seeing Bella smile and laugh was nearly worth being the object of humiliation...nearly.

"I really am not _that_ bad in the kitchen." He defended again with a good natured smile.

"No?" Bella asked still recovering from her laughter.

"No. I can make Kraft mac and cheese with the best of them." Edward said as seriously as he could manage.

Bella giggled again, but tried to recover herself. "You tight with Cheesasourus-rex?"

"Yea, he and Tony the Tiger. We're all good pals." Edward nodded seriously and it brought on another round of laughter between them. It was nice to be this way again, it hadn't been this fun and light since before Vicky left. "Do you need help? I feel silly just sitting here."

"Can you chop?" Bella asked gesturing to the tomatoes with her knife.

"I could be taught."

"Okay...go wash your hands really quickly." Edward did as she asked as she finished up dicing the tomato she had started.

"Okay." Edward said appearing at her side. Bella handed him the knife she had been using and Edward reached into the bowl to pull out a another one. He cut the end off but when he went to cut it again he squeezed and it slipped out of his grasp. "Oh crap!" Edward said as the tomato landed on the floor. "It's not as easy as you make it look is it?"

Bella chuckled. "You have much to learn young Padawan." Edward stared at her. She had just correctly used a star war reference. Could she be any more perfect for him? She bumped him in the hip and took the knife from his hand. "You want to keep a loose grasp on the tomato, that way that doesn't happen." Edward hadn't realized he'd still been staring until Bella looked over at him and asked, "What?"

Edward shook his head, "Nothing. What do you need me to do?"

"Well how about I chop and you smash?"

"Well we both know I'm good at that," Edward chuckled and got to work crushing the tomatoes that Bella diced. They worked in comfortable silence as Bella added the tomatoes and the seasonings into a pot. While the sauce simmered on the stove, Edward washed his tomato stained hands. After drying them on a towel, he leaned against the counter by the sink and chatted with Bella about her grandmother and her recipes. All the while Bella was making a dough for some bread. Suddenly a sound of crying came over the baby monitor sitting on the counter.

"Oh no..." Bella muttered looking down at her dough. "Is it already time? She's hungry."

"You want me to go check on her?" Edward asked. Bella looked a bit uneasy, "I mean I'm not the one elbow deep in bread dough."

"Okay...if your sure." She still didn't look all that convinced. "It's the last door on the left." She rolled the dough into a ball and put it in a bowl and quickly covered it with plastic wrap. "I'll just get her a bottle ready," she told him pulling out everything she needed.

Edward nodded and made his way to the room. He walked in to what must be Bella's bedroom. A large wooden four poster bed sat in the middle of the room. A blue and gray comforter neatly folded revealing a sliver of white sheets. On the left wall there was a crib and Edward made his way over to it quickly. "Hey there little one...what's the matter?" He asked reaching down to pick up the little baby. Edward bounced her lightly hushing her cries until she quieted. She looked up at Edward with wide eyes. Edward noticed that they were the same color as Bella's. "There now little one. Momma is making you something to eat." The baby gurgled in his arms. Edward made his way over to a rocking chair and sat down. Rocking the baby he leaned down and whispered, not wanting for the baby monitor to hear him. "Can I let you in on a little secret?" The baby giggled and he took that as a yes. "I really like your mommy." He touched the baby's face with a finger. She gripped it tightly. "You think she'll ever feel the same for me?"

"She likes you." Edward looked up seeing Bella standing in the doorway.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*EXB*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The sight in front of her was almost too much for her to bare. There sitting in her grandmother's old rocking chair Edward held her daughter. He was hunched over whispering something to the baby. Bella hadn't known how she would feel about something like this, but seeing them together like that took her breath away. "She likes you," she whispered almost hating to break up the scene, but knowing that her daughter had woken for a reason.

Edward's head snapped up to her, "What?" He asked.

Bella walked into the room, "Abby, she likes you. She's never cared much for men."

"Oh. Do you want me to..." he lifted Abby toward me.

"If you wouldn't mind." Bella smiled holding her arms out. Edward got up and passed her over expertly even tucking in the baby blanket. "How did you get so good with baby's?" Bella asked adjusting Abby and holding the bottle to her little lips.

Bella walked back to the rocking chair Edward had just vacated as he answered. "Well Alice is a few years younger than me. I was about three or four when she was born but other than that, my aunt..." Was it Bella's imagination or had Edward's voice hitched just then. She wasn't sure because he quickly continued, "she had lots of kids. It was all hands on deck sometimes for Holidays. Anyone that could hold a baby did." Bella nodded at his explanation, still keeping an eye on the baby in her arms. Abby finished up her bottle squirming when she had eaten all that she wanted. She had just realized she'd forgotten her burping towel when Edward handed it to her.

"Thank you." She looked up at him. He was standing close now, right next to the rocking chair. Bella placed the towel on her shoulder and then shifted the baby to burp her. After she'd burped Abby, Bella wiped the spittle from around the baby's mouth and sat and rocked with her. It only took a few moments before she was back to sleep.

Edward still hadn't moved, in fact he'd watched the whole thing with rapt interest. Bella looked to see him again looking down at the baby in her arms. "She's already back to sleep," he whispered surprised.

Bella smiled. "She's like that," she whispered in explanation. "She's pretty much the best behaved baby in the whole world. She'll eat her fill and then sleep for hours. I'd be worried if she wasn't so full of energy in the mornings before I left." Bella got up from the rocking chair slowly so not to disturb Abby. "Last night she just wouldn't go to sleep though."

Edward was standing right in front of them now, "She's got a fire in her just like her mother." He reached out and touched Abby's face lightly with his finger. The baby sighed at his touch.

"_I sigh too Abby_." Bella thought. "You think I have fire?" Bella hadn't even meant to ask, but it came out anyway.

Edward looked up from the baby between them and into Bella's eyes. "I know you do. I see it, every day."

Bella leaned toward him feeling drawn to him, suddenly the baby shifted in her arms naturally seeking out her mothers warmth and a comfortable resting spot. Feeling like a bad mother for forgetting that she was carrying her daughter for even a small moment, Bella pulled away. "I'd better put Abby back in her crib." Edward leaned away too nodding.

Bella tucked her daughter in her crib and leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead before she and Edward left the room closing the door behind them. They didn't say anything to each other till they reached the kitchen.

Bella wondered if the air was heavier in here, or if it was just her imagination. "So what are we doing next?" Edward asked suddenly. Bella was glad that the interruption her daughter had caused hadn't brought back the awkwardness that the day had started out with.

"Dessert," Bella said reaching for the box of coco on the counter behind her.

"Are we making a cake from scratch?" Edward asked surprised.

"Well technically we're making brownies from scratch."

"You go all out don't you?"

Bella shrugged while she checked the recipe and began to gather all the ingredients she would need. "I really don't have an excuse to cook like this all the time with just Abby and I. So I take advantage of it when I can." She opened the flour container to see that there wasn't enough left in the canister. She went to the opposite end of the kitchen and retrieved a new bag of flour from a cabinet. She was making her way back over to the island when all of a sudden her feet slipped out from under her, a surprised cry escaping her and a cloud of white surrounding her as the bag burst open.

She heard Edward's rushed voice, "Oh my god Bella are you okahhh." Before she could warn him he slipped on the same offending object that had been her downfall. That damn tomato. She had forgotten all about it. A puff of white exploded when Edward landed on top of her knocking the breath out of her once more. They both coughed. His weight was only on her for a few seconds before he raised up, supporting himself with his arms on either side of her head. "Bella? Are you alright? I didn't mean to fall on you." He asked with concern

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She assured him propping herself up on her elbow. She laughed lightly at his appearance. He looked adorable, completely covered in flour. She must look worse than him though. Since his dousing of flour was purely secondary. She looked around to see that they weren't the only things covered in flour. "This is going to be a complete pain to clean up." Without thinking she reached up and brushed a stay hair off his forehead. "Look at you. You're covered."

She trailed her hand down to his cheek. He leaning into her touch as her hand traveled further down, to rest on his shoulder, a place it's rested many times when they've danced. He reached out cupped her cheek. Wiping at her cheeks with the pad of his thumb. "Bella..." He murmured searching her eyes for something.

"Edward," she whispered biting her lip. She had been debating all day if she should give in to the magnetism between her and Edward. He was the most amazing man she had ever met, but she knew that he had his own problems and she didn't want to bring him down with all of her own emotional baggage. She knew that if she decided to give this a chance she would eventually have to come clean about everything. There would be no half truths any longer. She couldn't get any guarantees that it would work out, but she was going to take the chance. She realized she had decided five minutes ago when she saw him with Abby. Now here he was, close enough for her to taste his breath on her tongue and he was still restraining himself. She couldn't wait any longer. She gave in with a groan, grabbing him by the neck and pulling him that last few inches to touch his lips to hers. This man had the power to destroy her, but he also had the power to save her.

**End notes: Okay. I really do want to know what you guys are thinking so leave a review for me please. When I have trouble the really keep me going. Did she give in too soon? **


	18. Party Like it's 1950

**A/N: Your eyes don't deceive you. This is an update for "**Leave it All on the Floor**". I know it's been forever, but I have a valid reason...or at least a semi-valid one and several excuses. My excuses are that I'm trying desperately to edit the first chapters and get them posted on multiple sites and that was sucking the energy out of me. Also I've had several plot bunnies sneak up on me and round-house kick my ass into writing them, so I've donated to both Fandom For Sexual Assault Awareness and Fandom For Storm Relief. **

**My real reason though is that Danceward has been a prick and refused to speak to me and without my muse, I was lost. But there is an update now...please don't hate me.**

**This chapter has several notes...first...There's a link to what I picture Bella's dress being on my profile, but instead of pink like the image; imagine a dark blue with a red belt. Second there's a link to the song that I used for the dance...yes a dance ((shocked gasp)). The dance is a **Lindy-Hop** which is a swing dance I suggest that you check out the YouTube profile linked on my profile if you want to know what some of this looks like. These guys are really amazing. **

**In this video, I used the first trick and many others, some I made up though. However it's a really cool vid.**

**Okay thanks to **babylopez2008** and **inkedupmom** for looking over this and making it all grammatically correct and stuff. **

**Here's a quick reminder of where we left our couple:**

_There would be no half truths any longer. She couldn't get any guarantees that it would work out, but she was going to take the chance. She realized she had decided five minutes ago when she saw him with Abby. Now here he was, close enough for her to taste his breath on her tongue and he was still restraining himself. She couldn't wait any longer._

_She gave in with a groan, grabbing him by the neck and pulling him that last few inches to touch his lips to hers. This man had the power to destroy her, but he also had the power to save her._

_**Chapter 18 – Party like it's **__**1950**_

Eventually, they pulled away from one another. Bella politely excused herself to check on Abby and made a detour to call Alice after making sure that the baby was still asleep. They began cleaning, stealing glances in each others directions the whole time until they were interrupted by the door bell. Edward volunteered to grab it and Bella wasn't going to stop him; she knew that it would be Alice.

She heard what they were saying from her position in the kitchen.

"Alice," he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Alice giggled, "Well, hello to you too, brother dear. Bella called me and said you needed some clothes. Now I see why."

"Thanks, Alice, you didn't have to come out of your way."

"I was coming over for the party anyway," Alice said, her tone dismissive. By that time, Bella had finished filling her bucket of water and set it down on the floor and made her way toward the entry way.

"I didn't know you were coming."

"I didn't know you were coming either, brother of mine. Although I'm happy that you are. It means you know about Bella." Bella halted her steps. "Have you met Abby?"

"Yes," Edward's voice had a strange far away tone and Bella cursed not being able to see his face.

"Seems like it was love at first sight with both the Swan girls."

"Alice..." he said warningly.

"Okay," Alice giggled. "But she is the sweetest, isn't she."

"I can't imagine anyone not wanting either of them. How can anyone see that much loveliness and just throw it all away?"

_How indeed, _Bella thought.

Alice hesitated and Bella knew that she was debating on what to say. "I don't know," she finally said.

Before Alice could say any more Bella came into view. "Alice. Oh good, you brought Edward some clothes."

"Yes. Edward why don't you go clean up and I'll help Bella finish up," Alice told her brother without looking at him. She was eying Bella speculatively as if she were cataloging everything about her appearance to discuss at a later time.

"Oh, okay," Edward said confused by his sister, no doubt.

Bella sighed and then smiled at him. "It's the first door on the right. There should be clean towels in there."

Edward's look of confusion morphed into a soft smile. "Thank you."

As soon as Edward had closed the door to the guest bathroom, Alice pounced. "Alright spill it. How did you and my brother end up covered with flour?"

Bella chuckled at the memory. "It's a long story, Alice," she said, hoping that she would settle for the short version. But knowing Alice, she wouldn't.

"Well we've got time," Alice said with a smile. Bella sighed and turned toward the kitchen. Alice burst out laughing when she saw the mess. "Well that explains some of it. I'll help you clean up the kitchen and you tell me all about it." Bella gave in with a sigh and told Alice everything.

Alice had been her confidant before, and even though she was a little nervous about sharing the information about Alice's brother, she figured that a little input would be appreciated. When she was done, Alice sat back on her heals and laughed lightly. "Well I told him to go for it, I just didn't think he'd do it quite like this."

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked, looking up at her friend confused.

Alice bit her lip nervously. "Edward might have called me after you left the dance studio," she hedged.

Bella cocked an eyebrow. "He _might_ have? I was wondering how in the world he found out where I lived," she chuckled.

Alice smiled and touched Bella's arm. "I'm happy for you both, Bella. You balance each other."

Bella scoffed, "What, like plain and gorgeous?"

"I was thinking more like yin and yang, fire and ice."

Just then Edward emerged looking freshly showered. "Fire. Alice, I think we've had enough disasters for the day."

Bella wondered how much he'd heard. "He's right, Alice," Bella agreed quickly, and then spoke in a quite voice so that Edward couldn't hear, "Don't go borrowing trouble."

"Oh fine," Alice whispered harshly to Bella before speaking louder, "Say, what are you going to do for a cake now?"

Bella was thankful for the change of topic. "I'll have to use box mix, as much as I dislike having to do so."

*~*~*~*~*~ExB~*~*~*~*~*

After she had pulled out the cake to cool, she went to go clean herself up. When she got out of the shower there was an outfit laying out on her bed. She chuckled, knowing that Alice had been through her closet while she wasn't looking. Her smile grew when she saw what it was that Alice had picked out for her.

It was probably her favorite outfit. It was a fifties style party dress in a beautiful navy blue. It had a sweetheart neckline but also had a piece that came up behind her neck but left her back exposed. Alice had set out a dark red belt and a matching pair of flats. Bella was glad to not see the heals there, but that was probably only because Alice couldn't find any that matched just right. The whole ensemble was a bit dressy for Bella's taste but it was technically a party. She shrugged and slipped everything on.

She walked back into the bathroom to use the blow dryer on her hair. She combed it up into a high pony tail and secured it first with a elastic band and then tied the red ribbon in it that Alice had picked out for her. She put on a light dusting of makeup, choosing to forgo the red lipstick that Alice had probably wanted her to put on, and made her way back out to the living room.

Alice and Edward were sitting chatting on her couch. Alice had Abby in her arms. It was an odd contrast between the two dark haired siblings and the beautiful blonde baby. Edward stood when Bella came in and Bella couldn't help but smile at his manners. His gaze traveled her whole body and it made her shiver slightly.

"Wow," he whispered.

Bella bit her lip a little self consciously. "It's one of the few dresses your sister forced on me that I actually like," she said with a pointed look at said sister. "We found it in this vintage store in New York that I literally had to drag her into the first time. It became our favorite place to shop though."

"You look like you stepped right out of the fifties."

"Thanks." She ducked her head and went to grab the table decorations for the back porch.

Edward grabbed the remainder of the items and followed her with a confused look, while Alice went to go change Abby into her party clothes. _Clothes that that damn pixie had brought with her, _Bella thought exasperated. Alice was determined to spoil Abby.

Bella opened the sliding door and stepped out onto the open air porch. It was one of the major draws for this place, other than being close to the Academy. It had a small backyard that, while she had to share it with her neighbors, reminded her of home.

"I didn't know this was back here," Edward said.

"Yeah, it's nice. It's like a little piece of countryside in the city," she told him with a smile as they started setting everything up.

They finished just in time for people to arrive. Alice came out of the bedroom bouncing the baby as Maggie and her husband came in. They cooed over Abby while Bella finished everything up and took the food outside. It was a small party of friends. Just Maggie and her husband, a few of the other neighbors, Alice and Edward, and herself.

They had finished eating and were chatting and listening to the radio when Maggie sighed and said, "I love this song."

Edward smiled and stood holding his hand out for Maggie. "Well then, may I have this dance, birthday girl?"

Bella watched as Edward led Maggie gracefully across the far end of the porch with a smile on her face. He was a true gentleman. "Would you like to dance with an old man since your young man stole my wife?"

Bella laughed at the slightly offended tone in his Irish lilt. "You aren't old, Patrick."

He chuckled at himself then. "Yes I am, but that's not the point." He stood like Edward had done with Maggie and Bella placed her hand in his.

"I would love to dance with you."

They joined the others on the makeshift dance floor and moved together for a little while before Edward spun Maggie and she burst out in happy laughter. Patrick's eyes were soft as he stared at his wife.

"He's a sweet boy, Bella."

"Yes, he is," she told Patrick while watching Edward. A chuckle brought her attention back to her dance partner. "Does this mean you approve?" she asked with mischievous smile.

"I suppose I do. He makes it hard for anyone not to approve. I see the way he looks at you. He's over the moon already. Don't roll your eyes at me," he scolded her as she did exactly that, "I'm serious. You should have heard him when I spoke to him earlier."

Her eyes grew wide in alarm. She had only left Edward unattended with the man when she went to get the cake and light the candles. "Pat, what did you do?"

"Don't get your knickers in a knot. I just made sure the boy knew that you had people who cared about you."

She opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off.

"I know you like to go to Maggie with problems, but I want you to know you can talk to me too. I haven't been around a great deal but that's gonna change now. I'm handing over daily operations to one of the younger boys and I'll be able to work from home. I want to spend more time with Maggie, and with you and Abby as well. We might not have had either of you for very long but you're already a part of mine and Maggie's life," he paused and took a deep breath.

"We're both getting to that age now when all our friends have grand-kids and Maggie and I wished it was a possibility for us. We met each other late in life you see, and neither of us have kids. When Carlisle called us about your problem, it was like you and Abby were everything we could have ever dreamed of. We both consider you our daughter, Bella."

She had tears in her eyes when she spoke. "Thank you, Patrick."

"No tears, pretty girl," he said softly stroking her cheek. She tucked her head into the crook of his neck and they swayed together for the rest of the song.

When the song was over Maggie stood back breathing heavily but smiling. "Oh goodness, I haven't danced like that in years."

"You were quite good," Edward told her.

"Why thank you. Pat and I used to go dancing," she explained.

The song changed to a new version of the old Glen Miller song '_In the Mood' _and Pat smiled down at Bella.

"Why don't you two show us how it's really done?"

"Oh, I don't know," Bella said unsure.

"Come on Bella, don't be shy," Alice called putting in her two cents.

"Bella?" Edward asked holding out his hand. She looked around and took it with a smile. "You ready to Lindy-Hop, fifties girl?" Edward asked her teasingly. She was dressed perfectly.

"I was born ready," she said and they started with a simple swing step until they could get the rhythm of the old big band song.

After a few of the more simple and basic twist and turns, Bella was starting to feel more comfortable in the dance. She didn't know if Edward was going to want to do any tricks or not. They hadn't really talked about it. However, it wouldn't be the first time that her and Edward had performed something with little to no preparation. When she danced with Edward, she just felt the music and let her body to the talking. It was okay, since Edward spoke the language of dance as well.

He looked at her and smiled and asked, "Do you trust me?" She smiled at having her words to him on their first date repeated back to her. She nodded. He mouthed the word "Lindy", so she knew what to expect.

He did a few more six count steps then he swung her toward him and hooked her arm with his and sent her flying behind his back and over his head to land on her feet once more in front of him, in a typical aerial that they called the _Lindy flip_. She took one step back and instead of pulling her back into the frame like she expected, he pulled her harshly back to him and over his shoulder this time head first and hooked his free arm behind her legs so she hung there for a second before he used the moment he gained from the last move to toss her back to her feet in front of him. They did an underarm spin and went back to the simple footwork for a few steps.

Then he spun her around so they were front to back doing some Charleston kicks. She wasn't surprised. A good number of the more flashy aerials started from this position because it made the ending of the flip easier if the follow, typically the female dancer, started facing away from the lead, who was typically the male dancer.

After a few steps, Edward leaned down and whispered, "back roll." Bella felt his arm stiffen and she braced herself and straightened her arms as Edward bent slightly at the knees and lifted her right off her feet. Her back pressed against his chest and her head rested on his shoulder as she used his front as a roll board and went right over top of him. He let go of her hands and she landed squarely on her feet behind him. As soon as she was sure of her landing, she began kicking to the beat.

Edward spun and grabbed her hand again spinning her around the floor quickly. This time when he moved her to the Charleston position, she felt him drop her hands and bend down to grip her bear thighs.

"Ace," he said, meaning the move called 'Ace in the hole'. She only had a moment to contemplate his hand placement because he lifted her up and she went to brace herself on his legs as he flipped her nearly face to crotch. Luckily Edward hunched over so she would slide inbetween his legs behind him. He bent down and grabbed her hands with his own crossed and pulled her back through his legs and then spun her around to face him.

They went back to some six count steps while they caught their breath. They both had huge smiles on their faces; they were having a blast performing for their friends. This was the fun part of dancing. When they were ready, they did some simple spins and pretzel turns.

When the singer sang the word "blow", Edward lifted her up to do a split kick and then caught her around the waist as she hooked her legs onto his waist. He spun her around. When he stopped, she bent forward and grabbed the back of his thighs and slid through his legs and onto her back. Edward reached down and pulled her up to him again.

They did some fast turns and footwork. The song was winding to an end and Edward caught her hand and spun her back toward him and Bella laughed as he pulled her into a _K-Turn_ and spun her over his arm, then he spun her out beside him. He pulled her to him and a very close Tango like embrace and they breathed heavily against each other as everyone clapped.

"That was spectacular you two!" Jordan, one of Bella's other neighbors proclaimed wide eyed.

"Thanks," Bella responded winded. She sank down in her chair at the same time that Edward did.

"That was fun," Edward panted out with a smile. That airy quality of his voice was doing things to Bella's body that she didn't want to think about.

She tried to shove them to the back of her mind as she replied, "It was, wasn't it?"

"You know," Alice said conspiratorially, "you should enter that spotlight dance conference."

"What spotlight dance conference?" Bella asked relieved that she seemed to have gotten enough air into her lungs finally.

"Have you not seen it advertised?" Alice asked disbelievingly. Bella shook her head that she hadn't. "Do you have the paper?"

"Yeah, it's there by the door," Bella said pointing to the recycling box by the glass door.

Alice went to retrieve it. "Here it is. Look. The _All-American Dance Conference_," she said reading the article.

"You both should go," Maggie agreed excitedly with Alice.

"What is it?" Bella asked.

"Have you seen those '_Dancing With the Stars_' shows?" Alice asked. Bella nodded that she had. "It's sort of like that but with all professionals."

"It's like a competition but less regulated." Edward took over explaining for her. "There aren't any judges, but you dance and preform for an audience, and they decide the placement. You dance individually instead of as a group and you can choose your own music and even use props and set dressings. The audience is typically industry professionals and school hopefuls, but occasionally they'll be just random enthusiasts that come to see the performances."

"It would be amazing advertisement for the school and it would give you both the opportunity to dance in front of a crowd with out all the pressure of a judged competition," Alice hedged.

"She has a point, Edward," Bella reluctantly agreed. "I haven't been to any sort of competition for ballroom. I _know_ the dances but I've never competed with them. This could give us an opportunity to see if I can even do this."

"You can. Don't ever doubt yourself," he told her firmly, grasping her hand and giving it a squeeze. He took a deep breath and let it out. "But, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to test the competitive waters and get our names out there, before the local competitions begin."

"Oh my gosh this is so exciting!" Alice jumped up and down. "I'll start looking for a hotel to book..." she started rambling off things that had to be accomplished before then.

_Hotel? _That got Bella's attention. She read the ad and then spoke loudly over Alice, "Wait a minute...It's in Las Vegas. I can't..."

"What? Bella!" Alice exclaimed.

"I can't leave Abby," she exclaimed, going to pick up her little girl from the play pen she was lying in.

"We'll watch over her," Maggie suggested.

"Maggie, that's the same weekend you wanted to go to see Patrick's family."

"That trip could wait."

"No. I'm not letting you do that. You already sacrifice enough for us." Bella turned to Edward. "I'm sorry, Edward, but Abby comes first."

He touched her hair lightly and cupped her cheek. "I understand," he said and she whole heartily believed him. "There will be other chances."

"What if Esme and Carlisle watch her?" Alice asked hopefully.

Bella tore her eyes away from Edward. "Alice, I couldn't impose on your parents like that."

"It wouldn't be an imposition," she said and then continued when she saw Bella's look. "My mother has been dying to meet Abby ever since she saw that first picture of her in my room."

"I can't just leave my child with complete strangers for a whole weekend," Bella told her friend. Alice had good intentions she just didn't fully understand Bella's position. She couldn't until she had a child of her own.

Alice considered the objection. "I have an idea. Why don't you bring her over tomorrow for brunch and we'll see how she gets on and we'll decide from there? Please..." Alice pouted.

Bella sighed. _It wouldn't hurt to go to brunch,_ she thought. If anything, it was something that she and Abby could do together.

"Fine, but I'm only agreeing to brunch right now. I will have to think about the rest."

**End notes: Okay so there we go. Please don't hate me for the lack of updates. I'm going to attempt to try to do them every other week but I don't know how that's gonna go. We'll see. Just be patient with me as I try to work through my schedule.**

**Also before I go, some of you may know that this year marks the 150****th**** Anniversary of the US Civil War. It is one of the bloodiest wars of my country's history. Coincidentally, the review blog I started is hosting a contest to honor the men and women that serve their country. **

**It's called '**_For the love of a Man in Uniform'_**. Please go and check it out. There's a link for it on my profile. **


	19. A Family Affair

**A/N: So Edward decided that he was going to speak to me again. I know It's been too long since we've had an Edward POV and I couldn't think of a better time then the meet the parents moment. I hope you enjoy. Thanks to **babylopez2008** and **inkedupmom** for looking over this for me. No song or dance for this chapter just a fussy baby and we finally meet momma Esme.**

**EPOV**

He arrived at his parents early that next day. The only car in the drive was his mothers SUV. His father always parked in the garage, but Esme never could be bothered with it, especially if she had groceries. That meant that he was the first one to arrive. Not that he was surprised; he usually was.

He took his key out and unlocked the door to let himself in. He started to make his way to the kitchen, but stopped when he realized his father was sitting reading the paper in the living room. Carlisle looked up in surprise.

"Son! You're here early," he remarked, looking at his watch.

"I couldn't sleep."

Carlisle nodded in understanding. Edward had always been an early riser, even as a child. "Your mother's upstairs getting ready. I should probably go get dressed," he said, folding his paper and rising from his chair. "Make yourself at home, son," he commented as he passed by Edward who was still standing in the entryway.

Before he reached the stairs, he turned back to Edward. "I think your mother has some cinnamon buns on the counter if you're hungry."

Edward had always had a week spot for his mom's cinnamon rolls. "Thanks, dad."

Needing no more encouragement, Edward made his way to the kitchen. It smelled wonderful in there.

_Mom must be making her casserole as well, he thought_. His mouth watered thinking about it.

It was like the best omelet you ever had. Sausage, bacon, cheese and eggs baked, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. He went to the cupboard and grabbed a plate. He selected a cinnamon roll and then made his way to the breakfast bar to sit down.

He ate a few bites, but his stomach felt off. He'd felt off most of the morning but when he tried to eat, things didn't sit well. It was odd because he knew he should be hungry. That's when he realized what it was.

Edward was nervous.

He hadn't been nervous since his first competition. Suddenly, it felt as if someone shoved him out on the stage without anyone letting him know what the choreography was and he had no clue why. That was a lie. Yes, he did know why. It was because his lovely sister had decided to invite Bella over to his families Sunday brunch.

He tried to assure Bella that if she was uncomfortable with it she didn't have to come. But she said that she was fine. He was still unsure about that. Both of his parents were obviously already aware of Abby since they had helped her settle and find child care, but Emmett and Rosalie would also be there.

So here he was, nervous as a virgin on prom night because he had no clue how Emmett was going to react or how Bella would take it. He really didn't want her running from the house, screaming and clutching her child to her chest. That would be very bad. He was startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"A little jumpy, son?"

He put a hand on his chest and tried to catch his breath. "God, Dad."

His father chuckled. "Sorry," he said not sounding even a little apologetic. "I wasn't trying to sneak up on you, honestly. I've been calling your name for the last few minutes. You were apparently off in your own little world. Would you like some coffee?" Edward nodded his head that he would.

His father walked over to the pot and poured two cups and then added what they both liked into them. "You know, you have no need to be nervous," he said, handing Edward the cup. "She's already met us and hasn't gone running for the hills."

Edward sighed after taking a drink and sat the cup down on the counter. "I know, but this feels different somehow."

"I felt the same way when I took your mother to meet your grandparents. I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin, but look how that turned out. She's put up with me for over twenty years now. Everything will be fine, you'll see."

"I hope so."

Just then, Edward's mother came into the room. She kissed him on the head as she passed him and said, "Good morning, my boy."

"Morning, mom," he smiled at her.

"Nervous?" she asked, turning toward him and looking at his half eaten cinnamon roll.

Edward chuckled once without much humor and looked down at his plate. "What, is it printed on my forehead?"

"No, I just know you," she told him, turning to the refrigerator and pulling out some fruit. "You seem tense," she commented as she began to cut up some kiwi. "Would you like to talk about it?" Edward sighed and his mother smiled and looked up at him under her lashes. "You know we've both met her before."

"But you haven't met Abby. And she is such an integral part of who Bella is, with good reason. I just..."

He didn't know exactly how to finish that sentence without sounding like a jack-ass. He was worried that if Abby didn't like them Bella would withdraw from him and he didn't know if he could take that. She had already become so important to him.

"Don't worry, son. Neither of us are strangers to kids. We raised you and you made it out relatively unscathed. As for your worries about your brother," she said slowly, apparently he didn't even need to vocalize his concerns about his sometimes over the top brother. "I've already had a little chat with Rosalie. She'll make sure Emmett is on his best behavior." Edward smiled, thinking what it was that Rose would threaten Em with to make that happen.

"Momma, we're home!" came Emmett's booming voice.

"We're in the kitchen, Emmett dear!" she called back, placing the slices of kiwi on a platter that already had an assortment of other fruits on it and starting cutting bananas.

Emmett and Rosalie made their way to the kitchen. "I'm starving," Emmett announced upon entering the room. "When are we eating?"

"You're always starving," Esme replied, smacking Emmett's hands away from the fruit platter. "And hello to you, too."

"Hi, ma," he said, kissing her on the cheek as Edward had done but stealthily swiping some grapes off the patter before she could notice.

"We're still waiting for Alice and Bella," Esme reprimanded him.

"Bella is joining us?" he asked. "Is that why I got the behave lecture this morning?"

"Yes, she is and yes it is," Esme said, placing her knife down on the butcher block and tried to give him the best motherly look that she could give. It probably would have been effective had Emmett been looking at her instead of Edward.

"Does that mean that Eddie boy finally got off his butt and went after her?"

"I'm sitting right here and don't call me that." Edward shoved at his brother.

"What _Eddie_? I've always called you Eddie." Emmett shoved back.

"And I've always hated it."

"Lighten up, _Eddie_."

"Boys," Esme interrupted in a voice that they both knew too well.

"Sorry, mom," they both said at the same time. Esme chuckled and shook her head.

"Emmett, why don't you go help your father with the grill, please?"

"Of course, mom," he said before kissing her on the cheek once more and leaving the kitchen. It wasn't long before a crash was heard from the back patio.

Rosalie stood up first and said, "I'll go." She was shaking her head all the way to the back door.

Not two minutes after she had left, a car pulled in the driveway. Edward could see from the window that it was Alice. Edward's heart started beating double time. Bella was supposed to come with his sister. She made her way in the house, but she was alone.

"Alice dear, there you are. Where's Bella?"

"She'll be along in a few minutes. Abby was being a little fussy this morning. She thinks she might be getting a cold."

"Oh dear, that's not good."

"No, it's not."

"There she is now," Alice said hearing a car door shut.

"Edward would you like to..." Esme started at the same time that Edward stood and said, "I'll go help her." He heard both his mother and sister chuckling as he left.

She was staring at the house when he came out the front door. He took a moment to take her in. She was wearing a purple blouse that looked remarkable on her pale skin and a pair of dark wash blue jeans. Her hair was falling around her face in soft waves and was blowing slightly in the wind.

"Hi," he said with a smile at her.

"Hey," she called out lightly, finally looking him in the eye.

He quickly noticed how tired she looked. She had circles under her eyes that, although it looked like she tried to conceal them, she couldn't hide the fact that her usual spark was absent. She bit her lip nervously and the only thing that Edward could think of was how he wanted to bite it himself. He reached up and touched her face gently and her eyes dropped to his mouth. That was all the invitation he needed. His lips met hers tentatively at first, but when her tongue touched his, the kiss quickly deepened. She was the first to pull away.

"Your family," she remarked breathlessly.

"Right," Edward said slightly ashamed for forgetting where they were. "Sorry." Instead of saying anything, she pecked him on the lips once and then slid out of his arms.

She went to the back seat and pulled out a carrying case and handed it to him. He looked at it oddly. "They're muffins," she said with a chuckle.

"You didn't need to bring anything but yourself and Abby," his thoughts trailed off as she bent back in the car to undo the car seat, giving him a spectacular view of her beautiful butt.

"I know, but I was taught never to show up to a party empty handed," she said, not realizing how utterly distracted he was at the moment. She came back up holding Abby's carrier who almost immediately started squirming and whimpering. Bella tried consoling Abby by shushing her and swaying the carrier side by side but couldn't do much more until she could take her out of the contraption.

"She's been fussy all day," Bella said sadly. The constant motion seemed to have calmed the baby down and Bella breathed a sigh of relief. "I almost called and said that I couldn't make it."

Edward pulled her to his side and started leading her up the steps. "I'm glad you didn't," Edward said kissing her on the head.

"The car ride put her to sleep. I hope it doesn't spoil the whole day."

"Mom will understand. She's raised three of her own. As for the rest of us, we're all used to kids when it comes to family gatherings. It'll be fine."

"If you say so."

"Come on," he said as he opened the door and lead her back to the kitchen.

His mom was just pulling the casserole out of the oven when they came in.

"Bella!" she exclaimed happily. She walked over and gave her a hug. "Thank you for joining us today. I was thrilled when Alice told us you would be here." She looked down at the carrier and smiled. "Is this her?"

"Yes," Bella answered somewhat shyly. "Esme, this is Abby, my daughter."

"Oh my, she's _adorable_!" Bella seemed to visibly relax and Edward wondered what it was that she had thought Esme would have said.

Suddenly, Abby realized she wasn't in motion any longer. Her little face scrunched up and she let out a piercing cry. Bella sat down the carrier, apologizing and took her out and tried to calm her by putting her on her shoulder and gently swayed from side to side. However it wasn't working.

"Oh dear me. She is upset, isn't she?" Esme asked with concern.

"She's barely stopped crying all day. I've tried everything I can think of. I don't want to give her any medication. I know they say it's okay to give babies just a dose of children's Tylenol but I don't want to do that without calling the doctor and he won't be in until tomorrow," she sighed in utter defeat and it nearly broke Edward's heart. He wish he knew how to help her. All he could do was reach out and rub her back.

She leaned into his touch slightly but looked at his mother at the same time and said, "I'm sorry, Esme, maybe I should just take her home."

Edward's hand stilled on her back.

"Now none of that," his mother quickly said. "It's perfectly okay. In fact, do you mind if I try something?"

"No, of course not."

"May I?" Esme asked, holding her arms out for Abby.

Bella nodded and handed her the baby. Esme placed the baby over her forearm and started to swing her back and forth gently. After a few moments she stopped crying and was merely hiccuping.

"How did you do that?" Bella asked in amazement.

"It's a trick that I learned when Edward was growing up. He was very fussy when he was getting sick. She probably has an upset stomach so it helps for her to lie on it. I used to have Carlisle sit and swing him back and forth for hours while I tried to get some sleep."

"Awe, you were a fussy baby," Bella smiled over at Edward, a bit of her usual spark entering her eyes.

"So nothings changed essentially," Alice snarked as Bella laughed.

"Alice!" Edward protested halfheartedly.

"What? I think she should know what she's getting into," she replied smiling.

"Don't worry. I think it's cute," Bella assured him.

"So is she," Esme commented. "And she's out for the count."

Bella laughed disbelieving. "You are a miracle worker, Esme."

"No," she told her. "I'm just a mother. I'll just hold her for you, poor dear. Did you get any sleep?"

Bella sank down onto one of the stools. "A little. Maggie took her for a few hours so I could get a little nap, but it wasn't much. I don't like being separated from her when she's not feeling well, like this. She tends to be a bit mommy oriented when she's like this."

"And you don't want to let her out of your sight," Esme quickly surmised. Bella dropped her head to try to hide her blush. "I completely understand, my dear, trust me. I used to drive the kids nanny's crazy. I was that mom that would call while we were at the restaurant about four times. Come to think of it, it used to drive Carlisle nuts as well. Of course when they all reached the toddler years, I was begging for a few moments alone. Three kids in the house all under the age of 10 was a bit too much, even for me."

Bella laughed and just then, Emmett and Carlisle came in carrying the chicken and shrimp from the grill.

Emmett looked from Bella to the baby and back. "Who's...What...I'm confused."

"Emmett, Carlisle, Rosalie," Alice said with a smile at Bella, "this is Bella's daughter, Abby."

Rose looked a little shocked, but it was only for a moment. She left Emmett's side and walked over toward Esme. "Oh my, she's gorgeous."

Bella let out a breath. "Thank you, Rosalie." There was a moment of quiet where everyone was just looking at Abby.

Emmett didn't say a thing as he walked over to Bella and swooped her up in his arms and into a tight hug. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded to whatever he had asked. He squeezed her tighter and she buried her face in his neck. After a moment, Emmett put her down and said something else softly that made her laugh. Emmett let her go and placed her back on her feet.

Edward didn't want to intrude on their moment but when looked like she was wiping tears from her face, he couldn't resist going to her side. When Edward approached, Emmett left them alone. He opened his arms and Bella went to him willingly. He felt like he was ten feet tall at that moment.

"Did Emmett say something to upset you?" Edward asked Bella softly as he held her close.

"No. The opposite really. He was very sweet." She looked up at him and he smiled down at her.

"Are we talking about the same Emmett?" he asked at the same time the Rose asked Emmett, "Isn't she adorable, Em?"

Emmett smiled at his fiance and then turned to Bella. "See what you've done, Swan? You've started the baby fever."

"There's the Emmett I know," Edward said and he felt Bella chuckle against his chest so he joined in as well.

It was after they had eaten and settled down in the living room before his mother finally asked the question he was certain she'd been dying to all day.

"So, Alice told me that you were thinking of entering the conference?"

Bella looked down at her lap."Yes, but it's in Las Vegas and I don't have anyone to watch Abby that week." She glanced over at Rosalie who was currently holding Abby.

"Yes you do," Esme stated matter of fact. "She can stay here with us. I'm at the house more than at the academy anyway. They won't miss me at all."

"I couldn't impose on you like that."

"It wouldn't be an imposition, Bella. Carlisle and I would love to have her. Wouldn't we, dear?" Carlisle nodded his agreement.

Bella bit her lip and stared at her daughter who was remarkably still sleeping soundly.

"She is certainly comfortable here. I suppose that I don't have to worry about her not feeling adjusted. It's just..." Bella broke off looking at her hands again.

Esme reached across the space between them and placed her hands on Bella's. "Bella, I already know what you're going to say and I completely understand."

"You do?"

"Of course. I told you that I was the obsessive compulsive mom, but believe me, this will be good for both you _and_ Abby."

"How so?"

"Well, she will eventually lose the separation anxiety the more and more she's away from you and you need some time for yourself. You work all day and then you come home and you're mommy. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, in fact I think it's admirable, but Bella dear you're 25 years old and you need some grown up time. I promise you, she'll be in good hands when she's with us. I'll spoil her rotten." Just then, Esme sat up straight. "I know! I can take her to that garden tea that Mrs. Penhurst invited me too. The woman is an insufferable snob, but I have to go. Having Abby along will save me and everyone will love her to bits."

"Now you see where Alice gets it," Edward murmured in Bella's ear.

Alice threw a pillow at him, but Bella laughed so it was effective. Alice stuck her tongue out in their general direction but then smiled. "I told you, Bella. Mom's already thinking of repainting a room for her upstairs."

"Oh, hush both of you." Esme waved off Alice and turned to Bella again. "What do you say, Bella?"

Bella pulled her lip back in between her teeth once again. She glanced from Esme to Abby then she slid her eyes toward Edward. She completed this circuit about three times before she spoke.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Edward asked.

Bella smiled at him and nodded. "Yes."

**End notes: So there we go. They're going to Vegas. Wonder what's gonna happen there :-) Well you'll just have to wait and see. In a few chapters that is. Tell me what you think.**


	20. AN: A Little Announcement

**A/N: Hey guys I really hate to do things like this to you but I don't have much of a choice. I just wanted to let you all know that three of my oneshots have been nominated for the Emerging Swan Awards. **

**Without you - best cullen lovin' story**

**A Universal Obligation- Best Supernatural/Fantasy/Horror/Spiritual/Sci-Fi category**

**A Dangerous Affair - Best Edward/Bella**

**First i want to say that I'm floored and flattered that I've been nominated :-) you have no idea how smiley that makes me. but I wanted to let all of you my readers know that voting is now open and I would greatly appreciate your support. Please do me a favor and visit their site and check out all the nominees and if you can before the end of the day, sit down and nominate some of your favorite little known WIP's.**

**emergingswanawards(dot)blogspot(dot)com**


	21. Pillow Talk

**A/N: Okay so I have no real excuse for the lack of update only the fact that I'm going to school and just got a job and RL has had to come first for a little while and probably still will. I'm going to try and get the chapters up when I can but I make no real guarentees. I want to welcome **EmilyMasen** to team Leave it and I want to say a super thanks to the other members of that team **inkedupmom **and **babylopez2008. **I do feel bad for making yo wait so you offically get the longest chapter so far, 17... yes you heard me right 17 pages of Word document. I'll see you at the bottom.**

The rest of brunch at Esme's was pretty uneventful. Bella eventually fell asleep on the couch wrapped in Edward's arms as Abby was happily passed between all the members of the Cullens. By the time she left, Bella was completely sure that Abby would be fine if she went on that trip with Edward. Alice of course, immediately began to make their traveling arrangements. Pointedly ignoring Bella's request that she pay for her own travel and accommodations.

"Don't be silly, Bella. We'll charge it to the school, right Daddy?" she asked Carlisle.

He just chuckled and nodded. Bella shook her head. She shouldn't be surprised. After all, what Alice wants, Alice usually gets.

Abby had slept through most of the night and for that Bella was thankful. She had gone to school feeling relaxed and oddly rejuvenated. She couldn't stop the proud smile that spread across her face as she saw that most of her class had shown up to audition for the solo in the showcase performance.

None of the girls were an outright disappointment; some were just more ready for this step then others. One surprise was Dawn, who always stood in the back line. She had obviously been working hard. While she was by no means the best technical dancer that auditioned, she had a certain spark that some of the girls didn't have. After all the auditions were over, she had the girls line up on stage and addressed them as a whole. "Okay, girls. Thanks to all of you that came to try out. You all danced wonderfully and you didn't make my decision easy. I will try to have something posted by tomorrow." Just then her phone started vibrating on the table. She picked it up so it would make less noise. "I'll see you next class," she said dismissing the group.

She didn't like to leave her phone on during class. It seemed wrong since she asked her girls never to do it, but with Abby still a little under the weather, she didn't want to leave Maggie with no way to get a hold of her.

Bella smiled as she looked down at the caller ID. "Hey. How's the ankle?"

"I'm still crippled. Thanks for asking," Jake's voice came over the receiver.

"Oh, shut it, drama queen," Bella laughed, picking up her bag and heading toward the back of the theater. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you dropped off the face of the planet since I hadn't heard from you in weeks."

It wasn't until then that she realized that she hadn't spoken to Jake since he told her he was injured and couldn't dance at the showcase.

"Oh my God. I'm sorry Jake." She really hadn't meant to stop talking to him.

"It's okay. The pixie filled me in," Jake said with a laugh. "And I know all about your new man candy." Bella couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes at Jacob calling Edward 'man candy'. "I heard you roll your eyes at me, Bells. So come on, tell me..."

"Jake," Bella hedged.

"Oh come on, don't get all coy with me, Bells."

"He's...he's just...amazing," Bella sighed the last word.

"Oh wow, complete with _the sigh_. Did you slump when you did it too?"

"Shut up! _This_ is why I didn't want to tell you."

"Okay, okay. I'll be nice." Just then an ambulance came roaring past the academy, sirens blaring. When things had quieted down Jake asked, "Where are you?"

"I'm leaving the school. I got to cut out early. I had auditions for my contemporary class and Edward and I decided to forgo rehearsal today. Why, what's up?"

"Do you have time to come see your poor, neglected friend?" Bella could practically hear Jake sticking his bottom lip out.

"Jake, are you pouting?"

"If I said yes?"

"I'd say grow up," she answered quickly. In all honesty it hadn't been kind of her to basically forget all about him simply because of Edward. "And then I'd say I do have some time. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

"I'll worship you till the end of time if you bring me some food from that one Chinese restaurant you frequent."

"Well, I'll make sure to buy some grapes for you to feed me then," Bella chuckled.

"And _I'm _the drama queen?" Jake snorted.

"Okay, I'll call the restaurant. It'll probably be a few minutes-"

"I already ordered," Jake said, cutting her off.

"Sure of yourself, aren't you?

"Always, but you love me anyway." She couldn't argue with that. Jake always knew what he wanted and he went after it. Bella respected him for that.

"I'll see you in a few," she said as she hung up her phone and turned around to head toward Jake's. She dialed Maggie's.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mags. How is she?"

"She's fine, dearie. I took her to the doctor as you asked and he said she just had a cold. He gave me some medicine for her and she's been good as gold since."

"That's good to hear," Bella sighed. "I know I said I might be home early, but I need to go and visit a friend of mine. I haven't talked to them in a while. Are you okay to watch her a bit longer?"

"Of course, child. No bother at all. You just come over to the house when you get home."

"Thank you, Maggie."

"I've told you before, it's no trouble. I love the little dear too."

"I know, Maggie, but I'll never stop thanking you. I'll call you when I get close to home."

"Good bye, dearie."

Sure enough, Jake had already placed their usual order. Bella was surprised that he had remembered what she liked to eat. She took the bags and paid the clerk before heading the few blocks to Jacob's place.

They ate and chatted on the couch with Jake's leg propped up on the table. After a while Jake said, "I have to tell you Bells. I haven't seen you this happy in a long time."

Bella smiled over at him. "I haven't _felt_ this happy in a long time, Jake. He...he just makes me feel hopeful, you know?"

"So have you two..." he trailed off, wagging his eye brows.

"Oh my God, Jake, I'm not telling you that!" she exclaimed, turning about ten different shades of red.

"What? I'd tell you," he defended.

"Well, I'm not gonna ask you, nor am I going to tell you."

"So you have nothing to tell? Is he that bad? Surely someone who looks like that wouldn't be bad. Where would be the justice in that?"

"Gosh Jake, we haven't..."

"Bella are you crazy. You have that awesome piece of man meat there and you aren't already jumping his bones?"

"See, you say things like that and it makes me question if you're really straight."

"Don't deflect Bella Swan! Why are you and Eddie not doing the _horizontal _tango too?"

"I don't know," Bella said into her food container. "It just never was the right time." Bella couldn't really explain that they had never felt really comfortable taking things much farther than some heavy petting because of Abby. Jake didn't even know that Bella had a daughter. "Something would always come up," she finished awkwardly.

Jake opened his mouth and she stopped him before he could make the statement she knew he was thinking. It had to do with a part of Edward's anatomy and not coming up, which wasn't true in the least. "That's not what I meant, you perv!" Things were definitely _up _in that area. "Now stop thinking about Edward's junk, it's disturbing."

Jake laughed and after a few moments of silence he spoke again. "So, I met someone." He sounded almost nervous to bring it up.

Bella perked up and stopped eating, "You did? What's her name?"

"Her name is Makenna. She lives down the hall," Jake said, taking another bite of his noodles, trying to be nonchalant. Bella knew him better than that.

"So..." Bella encouraged, sitting her food down on the table and giving Jake her full attention. "Tell me about her."

"She's just _wow,_ Bella." Bella smiled at his expression. "She's an artist, like she paints and stuff," Jake continued. "The things she creates are just amazing. I ran into her in the hallway and she was splattered with about 20 different colors of paint and so flustered about having misplaced her keys and she wasn't watching where she was going. She literally tripped over me, about sent me flying down the stairs since I was trying to navigate with the crutches. We both ended up on the floor and when I looked at her I just..."

"Oh my God! Has Jacob Black fallen in _love_?"

The stupid smile that spread across his face was answer enough, but he still spoke, "Yeah, I have."

"I'm happy for you, Jake," Bella said, touching her friend on his shoulder lightly, all teasing gone from her voice.

"I'm happy for me too," he said seriously before a mischievous smile spread across his face. "Very happy," he commented, wagging his eyebrows.

Bella caught his innuendo and threw a napkin at him. "You perv! You had to go and ruin the moment, didn't you?"

"I can't help it. It's in my nature."

Bella shook her head at his antics.

"I've missed you, Bells." Jake said his tone back to serious. "I thought you were upset with me because of my ankle."

Bella dropped her food back to the table and reached over to give Jake a hug. He seemed a little surprised by her action but held on to anyway. "Oh, Jake...I'm...I'm sorry. I'm not angry, I was just really busy," Bella said into his chest.

She felt more than heard Jake chuckle. "I know that now. I just really missed this."

Bella looked up at him. "Me too. Let's not lose it again."

"Sounds good to me, Bells. Sounds good to me."

Bella left soon after they finished their food. She had to pick up Abby from Maggie's and she didn't like to be late. Abby was still asleep and Bella just didn't have the heart to wake her. Poor thing hadn't slept more than two hours in the past few days, so she found herself alone in her house for the night.

She wandered around for a little while, straightening up a few things and tidying her already clean room. Happy with the state of things she left, but paused as she passed the spare bedroom across the hall from hers. Walking over to the door and opening it, she was met with the same sight that's been there since she moved in.

The room was painted a light shade of yellow, but all that resided there now was a few boxes. When Bella had found the house, she had been drawn to the fact that it was within an easy walking distance to the school, it was affordable, and it had plenty of space. There were two spare bedrooms and she had intended to make the one closest to the master bedroom into a nursery for Abby, but she hadn't had the time to devote to the product. Maybe that would have to change soon. When she moved in and put the crib in her room it was just the easy solution, but now she wasn't so sure. There was a whole other person in both her and Abby's life that she hadn't expected.

Edward.

She sighed lightly thinking of him. Yes, it was time for a change. She wanted things to be more between her and Edward, and that was next to impossible with a baby sharing her room. So the next thing on her list would be to get the nursery ready. She sighed again, this time thinking of her schedule. It would have to wait until after the showcase. She turned off the light and headed back to the living room.

Bella settled herself on the couch and pulled her notes out from the auditions. She had to get the part cast by tomorrow. She reviewed everything she had written. All of the girls had performed well, but there were just a few that stood out prominently in her mind. She felt terrible as she crossed out a few of the candidates, but she couldn't cast everyone in the lead. She stared at her note pad blankly for a few minutes.

The house was too quiet.

Bella got up and turned on the radio for some background noise and hoped that it would help her concentrate. Unfortunately, it wasn't successful. She wondered if it was always this difficult. She supposed if you were the head of the company and you had fewer principles to choose from, it would be easier. As soon as the thought of New York entered her head, she pushed it way. She threw her notes down on the table and her head hit the back of the couch just as her phone rang.

She smiled as she answered it. "Hey there."

"Hey, beautiful." Her smile widened. "Where are you?"

"I'm currently sitting on my couch, pulling my hair out about casting the showcase."

"Don't do that. I'm fond of your hair just like it is."

"Har, har, har. I'm just frustrated."

"Frustrated? We can't have that. Would you be up for a little distraction then?"

"What do you mean?" Just then, the doorbell rang. Bella quickly got up to answer it.

"Surprise," Edward said, holding up a bottle of wine with a smile.

Bella laughed and hung up the phone. "Not that I mind but, what on earth are you doing here?" she asked as she pulled him into a hug.

Edward wound his arms around "Would you think I was sad or pathetic if I said that I missed you today?"

Bella pulled back slightly to look him in the eyes. "No. It's not sad at all. In fact, it's very sweet. And I missed you too."

"Well, that's good then," Edward said and he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the nose. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that."

He chuckled and walked with her to the kitchen. She handed him the corkscrew and retrieved two glasses from the cabinet. He looked around as he poured some of the red liquid for them.

"Where's Abs? Is she asleep?"

Bella couldn't help at the smile that spread across her face at his mention of her daughter. She loved that he thought of her needs as well.

"Yes, but not here."

"What?" he asked, handing her the glass.

She grabbed the glass and then his hand and took him to the living room. "Maggie took her to the doctor and he gave her a low dosage medication to help out and it put her out like a light. I didn't want to risk waking her by moving her. So she's staying with Mags tonight."

The both sat on the couch and Bella curled up into Edward's side. It was as if they'd always done this. It was so easy with him. It was like she fit into his side perfectly. Edward draped his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. His hand was playing with the end of her hair as he stroked her back.

Bella sighed. "I like this," she murmured.

"I do too."

They sat like that for a while. Just being, occasionally taking a drink from their glasses. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence it was just that being together was enough for each of them. After they had finished their first glass of wine Edward got up to get them another and asked, "So, what's the problem with the showcase?"

Bella sighed and looked over the back of the couch at him in her kitchen. "The problem is I don't know how I'm going to pick only one girl to dance the lead. I feel like I'm picking my favorite child."

Edward chuckled lightly and walked back in handing her the glass. "Don't think of it like that then."

"What do you mean?"

"I know it's hard, but try to distance yourself from the situation. If you have to, cover the girl's names on your notes and mix them up if you can. That way you don't put a face with the things you wrote. Only reveal them when you're done choosing."

She looked up at him. "How did you get so smart?"

"I'm naturally a genius."

Bella laughed at his serious tone. "And so modest."

"Of course," he said with a smirk.

Bella rolled her eyes and tried as he suggested. She found that she was able to narrow the list down to two dancers. She flopped back against the back of the couch.

"Talk it out with me," Edward said, rubbing her arm comfortingly. Bella sighed and then suddenly Edward stood and pulled her with him.

"What are we doing?"

"Dancing," he said as he pulled her to his chest and began swaying back and forth.

Slowly, Bella felt herself relax against him. "I'm sorry. I'm not being very good company for you."

"Nonsense, baby. I wanted to see you and spend time together and I'm doing just that." The fact that he had called her _baby _just then and _beautiful_ earlier hadn't escaped her notice. She really liked it. She smiled into his chest. "Now, let me help you."

Bella sighed. "I've narrowed it down, but I still don't know exactly who is best for the role. One of the girls is the obvious choice, but..."

"What do you mean by 'obvious choice'?"

"Well, any producer or casting director would choose her in a second. Her technique is impeccable. Her resume is one of the most impressive ones I've seen in a long time. She's gone to all the best schools, had the best instructors."

"But..."

"There was another girl. She hasn't had the same opportunities that the first did, but she's so naturally talented. She loves to dance and she does it with all her soul. She's got a fire in her that the other girl doesn't have."

"Seems like you've already decided to me. Why are you still debating?"

"Because. Am I crazy for picking a girl who didn't really nail the audition as opposed to someone who hit every move flawlessly?"

"Not at all. Baby, what is it you always tell your girls? Something your old teacher used to tell you. You dance with your heart?" he said uncertainly. Bella nodded. "So, what is your heart telling you to do?"

"It's telling me that it would mean the most to the girl with less experience. That it would give her the confidence she needs to shine. I would have to take more time to work with her, but..."

"You're amazing."

Before Bella could respond, Edward's lips were on hers and they were no longer dancing. Bella slowly wound her arms around his neck and pulled herself up on her toes so he didn't have to slouch as much. Edward's hands moved from her waist to cup her head. His hands buried in her hair, holding her with such tenderness that it almost brought tears to her eyes.

Suddenly, it was more than a kiss. Edward's hands went back to her waist and hers anchored themselves in his tousled locks as he picked her up and carried her to the couch. She felt his hands on her, exploring. Hers began to do the same. However the current position wasn't exactly a comfortable one. She lied back on the couch and she felt his arms brace himself over her. Her body almost immediately locked down. He'd been over top of her like this before in the kitchen and she had been okay with it. Maybe the fact that she had been thinking about her time in New York before were the reason, but flashes from her memory were coming at high speed and it made her panic. She pulled away from Edward and pushed up on his chest.

He pulled away looked down at her with unfocused eyes. "What?"

"I'm sorry, I just..." she said, shaking her head. The tears breaking through, "I just can't."

Edward sat up fully and pulled her to him. "Shh... Sweetie. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone that far. Please don't cry."

She didn't want to be this girl. The girl that was afraid of intimacy with a man as wonderful as Edward. He deserved so much better than her.

"No. I'm sorry. I should be over this. You aren't _him_," Bella sobbed.

Edward was quiet for another moment before he spoke again, "Bella did he..." he broke off, "did he _hurt_ you?"

Bella couldn't vocalize her response. She avoided his gaze and nodded and buried her face back into Edward's chest. His arms wrapped around her again and he held her tight to him. His hand stroked her head.

"Oh, my darling girl. I'm so sorry. We'll wait. We'll wait as long as you need us to. We'll go as slow as you need. I'm not going anywhere."

**End Notes: I know I cock-blocked you again, but you all knew Bella has issues. Some of you have given me some really good guesses about what you think is happening. I want to invite you to go over and talk about it on the new forum at Twilighted or leave me some love in a review and you'll get a little teaser.**


	22. Las Vegas

**A/N: Okay first I need to give a little disclaimer. I have never been to Vegas and when I wrote this I hadn't looked up what the convention center actually looked like. So we're just going to pretend together okay. **

**Thanks to Regina over at emergencybeta for keeping me going in their writing bootcamp when I was working on this. Those things are amazing! If you've never signed up and are an author I highly suggest giving it a shot. **

**I finished up my finals and got 90's across the board. *does happy dance*. I also entered a contest. Like Totally 80's Contest. You should like toatally go and check it out and vote/promise to for your favorite. If you vote and let me know it I'll give you an extended sneak peek of the next chapter.**

**Super thanks to **inkedupmom,babylopez2008** and **Emily Masen **for fixing my comma craziness.**

Edward couldn't help but smile as he made his way toward the school from the parking garage. The last three weeks had been nothing short of amazing. During the day, his classes were all going well, rehearsals were moving right along, but the best part was that he was spending most of his nights at Bella's house.

Nothing sexual had occurred so far, but just being able to hold her in his arms was enough, for the time being. He understood Bella's fear, but it still made him slightly angry. Angry that someone had not only emotionally scarred her but physically _hurt _her. If he ever came face to face with that fucker, there would be hell to pay. He knew that Emmett would gladly help him pound the punk into the ground. It was abundantly clear that when it came to the Swan women, all the Cullen men were defenseless against their charms. Abby already had Em wrapped around her little finger after only a few meetings.

Edward's smile grew as he walked into the auditorium. There she was. Bella was standing in the middle of the main isle, watching her class perform on the stage. Today it was the pairs class that was performing on the main stage. "Grant. Higher!" she called out to a student. She was worrying on her lip and nodding her head along to the music as she watched them. She just looked so cute standing there in her black ballet dress and red pants he couldn't resist the urge to touch her. The good thing was he no longer _had _to resist. He came up behind her and grabbed her by the waist. She jumped slightly when he buried his face in her neck. He loved the way she smelled. Like freesia and Bella.

"Edward," she said in a warning tone, but even he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Mmmmm?" he asked, kissing her neck. She tilted her head to give him better access.

"Stop it," she demanded, contradicting her actions.

Edward smiled against her skin, _his little mystery girl_. He gave her one more kiss before pulling back. "Okay."

He didn't let go of her waist, in fact he wrapped his arms more firmly around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. She relaxed against him and sighed.

"They're looking really good," Edward said as he watched the students on stage.

Bella turned her head and smiled at him. "They are, aren't they?"

Edward made a sound of agreement before squeezing her waist. "Not half as good as you do right now, Ms. Swan."

Bella chuckled. "Flattery, Mr. Cullen, will get you everywhere." She pulled herself from his arms and walked toward the stage. "Okay, everyone. That's it for today. It's looking really good. You should all be very proud of yourselves. I'll see you all next week."

The students all made their way to their bags and slowly began to leave the auditorium. Several of them stopped and wished their teacher good luck and Edward was surprised that Bella had obviously mentioned her plans for this weekend to her class. After the last student cleared the room, Edward reached out and took Bella's bag for her.

"Are you ready?" he asked her taking a hold of her hand.

"As I'll ever be," she said with a sad smile. Edward knew it was going to be hard for Bella to be away from Abby for so long, but his mother had a plan to surprise her by bringing her to the competition on Sunday. They were on their way to his parent's house now to say their goodbyes and head for the airport. He gave her hand a slight squeeze and as their eyes met some of the sadness left her.

After some tearful goodbyes they were finally on their way. "Bella, are you sure you're okay with this?" Edward asked as they sat at the end of his parents driveway. "I don't want you to feel like you have to do this."

Bella sighed. "No, Edward. I want to do this. I have to do this. Your mom was right. I'm nearly as dependent on Abby as she is on me and that's not a good thing for either of us. I know Esme and Carlisle will take care of her, plus I can call." Edward gave her a disbelieving look. "Edward, really. I'm sure," she assured him grabbing his hand that rested on the gear shift.

He brought her hand up to his mouth and gave it a kiss. "Okay."

This time Bella's smile was a happy one. "Vegas here we come," she said as they pulled onto the highway.

"Holy cow!" Bella exclaimed as they entered the convention center.

Alice had booked them in the block that the hotel had available for the convention participants. Of course, she had booked two rooms. Edward was pleased to tell the man at the desk that one of those wouldn't be needed now. He chuckled lightly as Bella took in the lobby.

It _was_ pretty cool, he had to admit. There were marble floors with carpet insets and rugs everywhere. Little sitting areas were scattered, comfortable couches and chairs in quiet corners and against walls. Off to one side you could see the entrance to the Casino. This was Vegas, what would be a hotel without a casino? Edward could hear the sounds of the various machines as people lost and won money. Coins falling into the buckets at the slot machines, the shouts of the victorious winners and the groans from the losers.

To the left of the casino was the restaurant. Edward had never stayed here, but he had eaten there before. It was top quality food and great service. He hoped he'd be able to get a reservation for their stay. He wanted to take Bella out again. They hadn't been _out_ since their first date. With Abby, it just wasn't always feasible and Edward knew and understood that. He would never begrudge Bella for wanting to spend time with her daughter.

"Excuse me?" Edward asked the man behind the desk who was finishing up their check in. "Do you know if I can get a reservation at the restaurant for tonight?"

"Of course, sir. Let me just check the computer," the man said with a smile. "What time would you like the reservation set?"

Edward glanced down at his watch. It was only about three in the afternoon. If he set it for a little while later, they would have time to clean up and rest a little while before going out. "Is there anything around seven available?"

"We have a seven thirty available."

"That would be great," Edward said glancing over at Bella who was looking at something in a case on the other side of the room.

"She's a lovely lady."

"That she is," Edward said with a smile.

"You're all set, sir. "

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Here are your keys. You're in room 1502. Just take the elevators there up to the 15th floor and it will be to your right. Good luck at the competition."

Edward nodded and grabbed the keys. He made his way over to Bella. He looked over her shoulder to see that she was reading some of the articles that had been posted about the event. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Ready?"

She smiled over at him. " Yeah."

"Where are you taking me?" Bella asked as Edward lead her back to the elevators later that evening. He hadn't told her about his impromptu date night and he was looking forward to surprising her. She was wearing the blue dress that she had worn the first time they had gone out. He loved the way that it looked against her skin; she almost shined.

"You'll see," he told her mysteriously.

"You know how I hate surprises," she said pouting as Edward reached out and intertwined their fingers together

"You'll live," Edward chuckled at her bringing her hand to his mouth for a kiss.

The doors to the elevator opened in the lobby and Edward lead her to the restaurant. "Really?" she asked excitedly. He knew that he had made the right call on the restaurant when he caught her trying to discreetly research it.

"Yes," he said with a smile. "Will you accompany me to dinner, Ms. Swan?" he asked, extending his arm.

Bella chuckled but linked her arm with his and gave him her best serious face. "I would love to, Mr. Cullen." The smile that spread across her face after she said it made his stomach flutter.

The ambiance of the restaurant was different than that of the lobby. It was just as grand, but it was a more subtle grandeur. No high ceilings or marble floors. The lighting was dim and the dark wood and red carpet gave it a cozier atmosphere. "Reservation for Cullen," he told the girl behind the podium. She smiled and lead them to a table near the bar.

"Your server will be right with you," she said in a breathy voice.

Edward looked over at her with questionably. The blonde gave him a wink and left them. Bella scoffed across the table and held up the menu.

"What?" Edward asked, pulling the menu away so he could see her face.

Bella gave him a disbelieving look as she reached for her menu back. "She was practically shoving her chest in your face, Edward!"

Edward held it out of her reach. "Really? I didn't even realize. I was too distracted by how gorgeous you look in that dress." Edward smiled as Bella rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" Edward asked, finally handing her the menu.

"Yes you have," she said as she snatched the folder from him.

"Well, I'm telling you again. You look absolutely breathtaking tonight, Bella."

She looked away and tried to hide the fact that she was blushing behind her menu. He loved that blush of hers. The fact that he could make her blush gave him a thrill he couldn't explain. Now, Edward was more aware when a different woman came back to their table. Her shirt was too revealing and she leaned in too close for comfort when she took their order. Edward made sure that she knew she had no chance with him and eventually she left them alone.

He and Bella spent the rest of the meal talking about their classes and the routines that they had worked out for the conference. Bella was nervous about everything getting here. They had the few props that they would use for the performance shipped out earlier in the week. Edward had assured her that the desk clerk had given him the delivery ticket and that everything would waiting for them when they got to rehearsal tomorrow. There would be a time span of three hours where they could go and talk things over with the crew and musicians about what would be needed. The musical selections had to be sent in a few weeks ago so that the orchestra and singers had time to learn the pieces for each competitor. Their selection for tomorrow was relatively easy music wise, just two guitarist and a violin, but it was a passionate piece and Edward couldn't wait to perform it with his girl. That thought still made him smile. Bella was _his_ girl.

It was always so easy with Bella, there were no awkward silences. There were just peaceful lulls and meaningful glances. It was the perfect date that they didn't get the first time.

They left the restaurant happy and full, their hands swinging between them.

About half way to the elevators, Edward heard the voice he'd been sure he'd never hear again in his life.

"Edward?"

The sound made him stop mid step, bringing Bella to a stop with him. Her smiling face turned toward him in question. He closed his eyes and hoped he'd just been imagining it.

"Oh my god it _is_ you!" the voice said and Edward felt himself being pulled into a hug.

It only lasted a moment before he untangled her from him. "Tanya," he greeted shortly.

He heard Bella's intake of breath as she realized who it was that had accosted him. He saw her body tense up as if she were gearing up for an attack.

_So much for this being the perfect date, _he thought.

**End notes: I know. I know. I'm mean but I couldn't help it! It's just a small speed bump but I couldn't resist. I promise you I will reward you for your patience. :-) Leave me some love and I'll even send you a teaser.**


	23. The Other Shoe

**A/N: Hello everyone! So... I entered a contest. Like Totally 80's Contest. You should like totally go and check it out and vote for your favorite. If you vote and let me know it I'll give you an extended sneak peek of the next chapter. Thanks to team leave it (**babylopez2008, inkedupmom, and Emily Masen**)**

* * *

Here it was. The other shoe that she had been waiting to drop. And that shoe just happened to be the overpriced, designer shoe of Tanya Kensington. Bella could see why she had appealed to Edward. Her tight purple dress clung to her like a second skin and her blond hair was picture perfect, framing her slender face. She was a good two inches taller than Bella was, which unfortunately made her the perfect height for Edward. She was gorgeous. It was also obvious that _she_ thought so too.

She placed her well manicured hand on her hip and gave him an adoring look. "That's all I get?" she asked in disbelief. "No happy to see you? Just Tanya?"

Bella's stomach dropped at hearing how easy it was for her to be teasing with Edward. She half expected Edward to laugh and give Tanya a hug and tell her that she was right.

"Why would I be _happy_ to see you?" Edward asked with a raised brow. Bella couldn't stop the small smirk from coming to her face. She shouldn't have doubted him. She knew how he felt about Tanya.

However, Tanya seemed oblivious to his obvious disdain.

"Oh, Eddie, don't be like that," she said with a chuckle and a light slap on his arm. When most people would have dropped their hand, Tanya didn't. Instead she rubbed her hand up his arm. "It's been _so_ long since we've seen each other," she emphasized the so in a way that nearly made Bella grind her teeth. Did the woman have no shame? "Are you here for the convention? I had no idea you were performing again? I remember when we would come out here. I would love to catch up while we're both here. What do you say?"

Bella couldn't stand in the background any longer. This woman had no scruples and while she had no doubt Edward could handle her, he didn't have to deal with her alone.

"Edward?" Bella asked, stepping up to his side. He looked over at her with a pained expression. She knew what it was about. He didn't want to hurt Tanya. Her family was still friends with his. She gave him a reassuring smile and his face relaxed.

Tanya looked surprised by her apparent sudden appearance. "Oh, who is this?" she asked Edward, completely ignoring Bella standing there. "One of your students? You let your students call you by your first name? Do you think you can ditch her? Or do you need to play chaperone?" Finally she addressed a question to Bella. "You don't mind if I steal Eddie here, do you honey?" she asked with a cute little wink and a shrug, tugging on Edward's arm.

Bella had bitten her tongue during Tanya's whole spiel. "As a matter of a fact I do. I mind very much, _sweetie_." Well, Edward had to be nice but that didn't mean that she had to be.

Tanya's blue eyes turned hard. "I don't think we've been introduced. My name's Tanya. Edward's _good_ friend."

Bella tried to unsuccessfully hold back a snort. "Good _friend_?" she asked.

"Of course we've known each other _forever_. Haven't we Eddie?"

"Stop calling me that, Tanya," Edward said through his teeth as he tried to extract himself from her grasp once more.

"You didn't used to be this uptight, Eddie. I used to loosen you up all the time, remember," She laid her hand on his chest lovingly.

That was the last straw. Bella reached out and grabbed her wrist. "If you don't keep your hands to yourself, the only loosening you'll be doing will be of your sling," she said her voice low and dangerous.

"And who are you?" Tanya asked, yanking her arm free, surprised by the venom she heard in Bella's voice.

"Oh, how _rude _of me. My name is Bella, Edward's _girlfriend_. And I assure you I've heard _all_ about you, Tanya. None of it has been exaggerated either. Now, if you excuse us. We were heading to our room for the night. First day of the convention tomorrow and everything."

"_You _dance?" she asked disbelievingly

Bella refused to take the bait though. She simply smiled and replied, "You have a good night."

She didn't even wait for Edward, she just turned on her heal and walked off. Edward was right behind her though.

"Baby," he started, reaching for her hand. She let him hold her hand but shook her head and he took the cue to not say anything further. She didn't want to have this conversation with him where Tanya could still see and possibly hear them. He brought her hand up to his mouth and gave it a kiss before they headed up to their room, finally.

When the door to their room closed he tried again. "Bella I had no -"

Edward couldn't get anything else out because her lips silenced his. He was surprised a little by her attack, but as his back hit the door. he seemed to realize what was happening. One of his hands went to hold her head and the other went to her waist to hold her whole body close to his. She could feel every contour of him and it drove her crazy.

She pulled away breathless. "I'm sorry."

"Bella, never apologize for _that_," Edward said with a lazy smile.

Bella chuckled a little at his expression. She kissed his lips once more lightly. "No, not the kiss. For down there with Tanya," she clarified. "I don't know what came over me."

"I do. You, Ms. Swan, were protecting what is yours." He gave her a kiss on the nose and she smiled at the sweetness of the gesture.

"Are you? Mine?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Always." he smiled down at her. "Let's get ready for bed," he said pushing off the door and giving her a little slap on the butt when she turned to walk away from him. She looked back at him with open mouthed shock. He smiled her favorite smile and winked at her and she smiled back and shook her head at him and headed to the bathroom to get ready.

"You're not angry?" she asked as she was climbing into the bed, after getting off the phone with Esme and Carlisle.

"Angry? About what? That my mother would be more than willing to disown me and adopt you and Abby both?"

"That's not what I meant and you know that isn't true."

"I know. And no, I'm not angry," Edward said, pulling her into his arms. She both felt and heard him sigh as she snuggled into her favorite spot. "I'm through being angry. I suppose I'm a little _upset_." She looked up at him.

"I knew it was a possibility that she would be here but never in a million years would I have thought we would have run into her. There are over a hundred dancers here. What were the odds?"

Bella couldn't stop the snort that escaped her and she shook her head and closed her eyes. "Odds, Edward? I wouldn't be surprised if she had been watching in that lobby for you all night."

"What?" Edward asked.

Bella laughed. "Do you really not realize what a catch you are?"

Edward gave her a sweet look and then leaned down to bury his face into her hair. "Says the pot to the kettle."

Bella tried to keep her eyes open but it was a losing battle and she was just so comfortable. "I'm serious, Edward," Bella said tiredly.

As she felt exhaustion take her she thought she heard him say, "So am I."

They had two hours until they needed to report backstage, and Bella was petrified. This wasn't her comfort zone. This wasn't what she was trained professionally to do.

_What the hell was I thinking?_

"Bella, stop over thinking," Edward said, coming up behind her as she sat at the dresser. She gave him a withering look through the mirror.

He chuckled at her and kissed the top of her wet head. "I promise everything will be fine."

She sighed and put the brush down she was running through her hair. "I'm sorry. I'm just so nervous."

"Says the woman who stood up to Tanya Kensington yesterday."

Bella smiled, remembering her confrontation with the blonde. "That was different."

"It was hot as hell," Edward said, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Bella got up, shoving him away from her. "Shut up."

Edward caught her arm and pulled her to him for a kiss. It was beginning to escalate when there was a knock on the door.

Bella pulled back with confusion. "Who could that be?" Edward shrugged his shoulders in response but she swore she saw his mouth twitch in a small smile. Bella nearly jumped out of her skin when she was met by a scream of, "Surprise!"

It took Bella a few minutes before she realized exactly who it was. When their faces registered in her mind, she flung her arms around her friends. "Oh my god! Alice! Rose! What are you guys doing here?"

Rose chuckled at her but returned the hug with as much excitement. "What do you think we're doing here? We're here to be your cheering section of course," she said as she and Alice pulled out of Bella's arms.

"And apparently doing your hair," Alice said as she picked up a strand of Bella's wet locks. "Seriously, Bella. How can you not be ready yet?" she asked and when Bella opened her mouth to answer, Alice interrupted her."You know what, I don't want to know."

Bella blushed at the insinuation that came with that statement. True, nothing had really happened with Edward yet. If Tanya hadn't intercepted them last night, something might have. But she refused to do anything between them that could be perceived as a reaction to that blonde harpy.

"Will you stop torturing my girlfriend, Alice?" It was the first time that he had called her that. He hadn't said anything about her calling herself his girlfriend yesterday, but by the smile she could feel on his face as he nuzzled her neck from behind, she could tell that he liked the idea.

"You two are too sweet," Alice said with a sweet smile before reaching behind Bella and pulling Edward away. "Now, stop molesting her and go and meet the boys." Bella opened her mouth to respond but Alice cut her off. "No argument. We have so much to do and not enough time to do it."

"I'm being kicked out of my own room?" Edward asked disbelievingly as his sister pushed him into the hallway.

"Yes, now scoot. The boys are in the bar downstairs."

He looked at Bella. She gave him a smile and a small shove. "Go. Have a drink for me."

"Only if you're sure?"

"I could use the help, now go."

"Okay," he said, kissing her lightly on the mouth.

She smiled up at him. "I'll meet you on the dance floor."

"I can't wait."

As soon as the door closed she turned to see a smiling Alice and Rose. "What?"

"Things are going well with my brother, I see," Alice said in a sing-song voice.

Bella felt the blush spread across her cheeks. "Yes, they are."

"Good, I'm glad. I haven't seen either of you this happy in a long time." Alice walked over and grabbed Bella by the shoulders and sat her down in the chair. "Now, let's make you more breathtaking than you already are."

An hour and a half and a lot of prodding, poking, and pulling later, Rose and Alice deemed her ready. She was in her performance dress, which was a typical black and white flamenco dress with a layered skirt that had a slit in the front to allow her to use it in the dance. The shortest layer fell about mid thy and that was also where the slit stopped. She was also wearing black shoes which was risky because it would be that much more evident if she made a mistake. She tried to tell herself that there wouldn't be any mistakes but she knew that it was a real possibility. This was her first competition and with each step that her and the girls made toward the center, the more her nerves were becoming apparent.

Alice and Rose walked her over to where the partition was that separated the backstage area from the audience seating. Both of them gave her a hug.

"Okay Bells, break a leg. We'll be cheering for you," Rose said with a little fist pump making Bella laugh.

"Thanks, you guys."

"It's no problem. Now go kick some ass."

She made her way through the throngs of people that were gathered around the entrance to the stage. She walked over to where several makeup stations were set up. She stared at herself in the mirror and tried to convince herself that she was ready for this. She had performed for hundreds of people, had danced perfectly for the biggest names in ballet, but ballroom was supposed to be a hobby. Something she did for fun. Now here she was, having to convince a convention center full of people that she knows what she's doing.

_You _do _know what you're doing, Bella. You and Edward have practiced these routines enough for you to do them in your sleep. You're dancing with Edward. You have nothing to worry about. He'll never lead you astray, _she thought.

She walked away from the mirrors to give the next girl an opportunity. She looked around for Edward but didn't see him anywhere. Suddenly her search was cut short but a sneering voice.

"What are _you _doing here?"

Bella refused to let Tanya get to her again though. She smiled as sweetly as she could at her and gestured to everyone around her. "Waiting to go on, like every other dancer."

Tanya gave a sarcastic smile and stepped closer to her. "Listen here, _missy_. Edward and I were each others first loves. We have something you will never have. We have..."

"History," Bella cut her off. She refused to listen to Tanya any longer. She had tried to play nice, but this girl was seriously deranged if she thought after what she had done to Edward that he would ever consider her in any other terms but hurt and disgust. "That's all you and Edward have together, Tanya. History. You need to accept the fact that you are his past, but you are _not _his future."

She scoffed. "And you are?"

Bella took a step away from her and shook her head. "I don't pretend to know what the future holds for Edward and I."

A smug look crossed Tanya's face before it dropped into a fake pout. "Awe what's the matter? Not so sure of yourself, Bella-boo?"

Before Bella could answer, they were interrupted by a heavily accented voice.

"Tanya! We're on deck."

A man that must have been in his early thirties approached them. His black hair was tied back into a sleek pony tail and his shirt was open showing off a lot of tan chest. He gave Bella a big, bright smile. He kind of reminded her of Jake. "Oh, hello. I don't think we've been introduced. Alejandro Juarez." He extended his hand toward her.

Bella reached her hand and placed it in his. "Isabella Swan," she told him. He gave a lopsided grin and kissed her knuckles. It could have been a slightly cheesy creepy move, but for some odd reason when Alejandro did it, it wasn't.

"I have heard about you, Ms. Swan," he said, giving her hand a gentle pat before releasing it. Bella's face must have shown her surprise. "My sister is a great fan of yours. What are you doing here?"

"I'm competing," Bella explained, gesturing to her current attire.

His brows shot up in surprise. "Really? A woman of many talents, so to speak? Well, good luck to you."

Bella gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you, Alejandro, to you as well." She actually liked Alejandro. How he worked with the she devil Tanya, Bella couldn't understand.

"Bella, it's getting close to time." Edward's sudden appearance by her side startled her slightly, but it wasn't a bad surprise. He glanced from her to the others. "I'm sorry for interrupting. You are?" he asked Alejandro.

Apparently Edward didn't need an introduction. "Edward Cullen, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Edward's posture relaxed slightly at the Alejandro's calm demeanor as he continued to introduce himself.

"Alejandro Juarez from the Chicago school of performing arts." Alejandro extended his hand once again.

Edward gave his over as well for a firm shake. "Of course. Tanya's partner. I believe you're on next."

He looked surprised as if he had forgotten why it was he had come in search of his partner in the first place. Yes, he reminded Bella greatly of Jacob.

"Of course," Alejandro said easily, trying to cover up his initial reaction. "It was a pleasure meeting you both. Good luck." He didn't even give Tanya a chance to speak he just hauled her off toward the stage.

As soon as they were out of ear shot Edward asked, "Do I even want to know what she said?"

Bella snorted, "Probably not."

She finally took in what he was wearing. He was similarly dressed to Alejandro. He was in high waisted black dance pants with a white stripe down the side of each leg that matched the piping detail on his jacket which was open and exposed his glorious, toned chest for all to see. To put it simply, he was the sexiest man she had ever seen in her life. Neither of them had seen each other in costume before now. Alice had done a great job in her opinion.

He pulled her into his arms and put a stop to her ogling. However. being pressed up against his bare chest was far more distracting in her opinion. She ran her hand down the planes of his chest and watched as the muscles contracted under he fingers. He caught her hand as it traveled towards his abdomen.

"Bella," he said in a warning tone. "Are you ready to Paso Doble?" he asked her with a smirk.

She smiled up at him. "I'm always ready to dance with you." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, softly at first but then with growing intensity.

She pulled away first. "I should go and get into place," she said breathlessly. "I'll see you out there?" she asked shyly. She wasn't sure why she had asked that particular question, but it had slipped out.

Edward leaned down and kissed her lightly on the mouth. "I'll be waiting," he said, smiling before walking away.

* * *

**End Notes: *ducks behind desk* I know I know I'm sorry. Will you forgive me if I say that the next chapter is for sure Lemontastic? and if you go and check out the contest entries I'll give you a sneak of said Lemon...is that enough incentive?**


	24. Passionate Dance

**A/N: Okay, so I know I said that I would give out teases in my replies for reviews but I figured you'd rather have the chapter, but I read everyone of them! Now...I hope you're ready for this. This is where the story starts earning its rating. Yes, that's right. This is my first lemon _ever_! So please be gentle. **

**First a few announcements.**

**I entered a writing contest and voting is now open so please go and check out the Totally 80s contest and vote for one of your favorites.**

**Next, I want to say a super thanks to **inkedupmom **she was a reader who's turned into my number one cheerleader and she held my hand through this whole thing. **

**Also want to say a quick thanks to the other members of team "Leave it", **babylopez2008 **and** Emily Masen. **Thank you both so much for all the work that you do. **

**There is also a dance in this chapter and it's a Derek Hough and Chelsea Hightower dancing the paso doble you should you tube it. It is a magnificent (Emmy nominated) dance. Now on to the show.**

He waited behind the orchestra while Tanya and her partner finished up their rumba. It was a good dance, and it was clear that he was a talented choreographer, but they didn't have much of a connection and that's really needed in ballroom. Tanya was still as beautiful as ever on the outside and just as self centered on the inside. Now that he had Bella in his life, he couldn't imagine how he ever thought Tanya was the one.

"Oops. Sorry Eddie," she said as she purposely rubbed up against him as she and her partner made their way from the dance floor.

He couldn't think about Tanya. He wouldn't even let her enter his mind. He needed to think of Bella only. Bella and their dance: the Paso Doble. It was an odd choice for sure but Bella had insisted upon it.

"It's one of my favorite dances. Besides, it's the man's dance," she had said. The man's dance it most certainly was. It's focus was raw, guttural, and in this case, sexual passion. Practicing this dance had certainly been a great feat of restraint from him. Every time she drew close, he wanted to kiss her. But he behaved and resisted. It was that resistance that made this their perfect dance and he knew it.

Most people call it the bull fighters dance and they're right in saying that. Often it's set up to where the man is the matador and the woman is the bull, or the thing that he's fighting. It was a decision of his and Bella's to take the dance further back to it's Flamenco roots. The woman was a sensual seductress who finds a man she wants but he is unwilling to give in.

The lights dimmed and he knew it was time. His guitar was brought out and set up next to the three musicians that would be performing their song. He sat down on the steps that lead to the band platform.

The announcers said his and Bella's names along with what school they were from and what dance they would be performing. He began playing the introduction cords to their song as the applause died down. A spot light was trained on both Bella and him.

She made her appearance through a section of the crowd. She was holding her skirt up by the edges so that her long legs were exposed as she inched and spun her way across the floor. Once she reached her spot on the floor, Edward stopped playing and one of the players snapped so that they could keep up the beat that had been set for them. He reached back and put the guitar in it's stand and made his way to Bella who was standing with her hands on her hips and was looking at him with a come hither stare.

He spun behind her and she reached out her arm for him. He pulled her in close to him as he turned and then spun her in behind him, hooking her right arm with his left and sending her leaping over his leg as he spun them both. As they hit their pose, the music started again: a fast strumming guitar beat. They held their pose for a full ten seconds before he lifted and flung her across the floor in a series of turns that sent her long skirt flying.

She reached down to the ground to gather her skirts as he circled her. Running his hand down her arm, he grabbed her hand and they began their seductive dance. A perfect underarm turn brought her so close that he wanted to kiss her badly, but she moved out of the way before that could happen. Oh, he'd make her pay for that later.

They spun in tandem and faced off in various places around the floor. After a leg kick spin, he left her behind on the floor as he ran for the judges platform. He leaned up against their table as she came after him. In her eyes there was a fire that he had only seen a few times before. She was either extremely into the dance or she was extremely turned on and he was hoping for the latter. He reached up and grabbed a hold of her head but had to look away from her eyes in order to gain the control he needed to push her away at that moment.

The rest of the dance was just a blur of moments when he could and couldn't see into her fiery brown eyes. He was vaguely aware of the crowd cheering as they executed some flamenco stomps and turns that encompassed the whole floor but they didn't matter. As they struck their ending pose, the crowd erupted into loud applause. Both he and Bella took their bows and made their way off the stage to make way for the next dancers.

They walked toward the exit without saying a word to each other.

As they reached the dark hallway that lead to the janitors closet, he pulled her into it and she wasted no time in kissing him. In her dance heals, she was just the right height so he didn't have to slouch at all. Her hands threaded into his hair and his traveled down her body. She hitched her leg up on his hip and his hand went to hold it in place there. She was in just the right position. He could feel her heat through their layers of clothing. Then she thrust against his hardness and he pulled back with a gasp.

_God she felt so good_, he thought. He needed to move this to their room. Now.

He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, kissing along her neck he whispered, "Upstairs," in her ear, nibbling lightly on her ear lobe.

She whimpered and nodded her head as he pulled her from the hallway toward the elevator. Thankfully they weren't stopped by any of the other dancers or his family. The elevator was full though so they stood front to back in the corner of the elevator. She was shifting lightly and it took everything in him not to groan as she repeatedly brushed up against him.

When it was their turn to exit the elevator, he all but yanked her out and into their room. As soon as the door closed, he pushed her up against it. He noticed her smiling. The little vixen had known exactly what she was doing. She didn't give him anytime to say anything. She just reached up and pulled him in for another hard kiss. She pulled at the sides of his jacket, causing him to untangle his hands from her and let her push it to the floor. Her hands began a detailed exploration of his chest. When he was out of breath, he pulled back from her. They were both breathing heavily now. Her hands went to the side zipper of his dance pants. He covered her hands to stop them.

"Bella, are you sure?" he whispered.

"I'm sure," she whispered breathless.

He lifted her up and carried her over to the bed and set her down beside it. She reached up and pushed down the shoulders of her dress and pulled her arms free. In the next moment, Bella was standing there in front of him in nothing but her underwear and black spanks. She had no bra on since the dress didn't allow for one so she was bare from the waist up and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was breathtaking.

He reached out and trailed his fingers down her side.

"Bella," he said on an exhale. Suddenly, she looked shy. She bit her lip like she always did when she was nervous. "You're beautiful," he reassured her. "Absolutely beautiful."

He kissed her on the mouth sweetly. Slowly, the kiss grew in intensity. He helped her step out of her dress that was pooled on the floor around her feet. Her hands found their way back to his hair and his held her firmly on the waist. She pushed him toward the bed. He sat as he felt the mattress hit the back of his thighs. He twisted and pulled her down to the bed never breaking their kiss.

Her hands went to the zipper on his pants and he didn't stop her from lowering it this time. He kicked off his shoes as she pushed his pants down past his hips. He tried to maneuver them off but they were stuck at his knees. He pulled back and stood up nearly falling over in his haste to remove them. Bella's laugh filled the air but cut off as he returned to her on the bed.

He trailed kisses up her neck as his hand trailed down to her remaining clothing he hooked his thumbs under the waist of both her spanks and her underwear. He began retracing the path his hand had just made with his mouth pulling her undergarments at the same time, by the time his lips had reached her abdomen, she was completely naked there before him for the first time. He took just a moment to just take her in.

He lightly trailed his fingers back up her legs and she looked down at him and caught him staring at her. She instinctively started to close her legs but Edward grabbed a hold of her upper thigh. "No. Don't hide from me."

He continued his trail of kisses down her leg, taking time to take off her black dance heals and letting them fall to the floor with a thunk. His hands returned and gripped the back of her thighs. As he approached her inner thigh with his mouth, he skipped over her delectable center and lay a kiss on her flat stomach. She let our a slight whine and he smiled against her skin. "Edward I'm going to combust if you don't touch me soon—"

Without any more build up he brought a hand around and stroked her wet folds. Her cry of surprise and ecstasy cutting off the end of her complaint. Her hands gripped at the comforter beneath her as he inserted a finger in her entrance. Her heat surrounded his digit and he groaned into her stomach imagining another body part of his inside of her, but he wanted to make sure she was taken care of first. He pumped her a few times before adding another finger using his thumb to rub circles over her swollen nerve bundle. She began thrusting with him, riding his hand, taking him in deeper with each pass.

He looked up at her face. Her hair was fanned out on the pillow and her head pushed into it as she arched herself toward him. Her beautiful breasts heaved with every quick breath she took. He began to trail kisses upward until the reached one prominent hardened tip. He ran his tongue over it in time with his fingers. Her hands went from her death grip on the bed and moved to his head gripping his hair.

"Edward!" she cried out. It only spurred him on and he felt her start to tighten. "I...I need you...inside me," she managed to say between thrusts. He curled his fingers slightly and she arched once more. "Please," she almost sobbed. When she asked, he could deny her nothing. He reluctantly removed his fingers from her to rid himself of his boxer briefs. He lined himself at her entrance and looked up at her face once more to make sure this was what she wanted. She nodded at him and he began to push in slowly. She was so hot. So wet. So tight. Edward clenched his teeth and his breath became more labored as he attempted not to plow into her. However Bella seemed to have other ideas. Her legs went around his waist and her hands gripped his shoulders. "Edward please, more. Now." She demanded pushing with her legs.

Edward didn't have to be told twice. He pushed the rest of the way into her and she shattered with a scream. Edward had to lock his jaw so not to loose it as her walls milked his entire length. She just felt so damn good. He waited for her to come down from her high a little before he began moving in and out of her. "Oh god," she breathed. "Oh god. Faster. Please faster," she begged and Edward obliged.

He felt her beginning to tighten around him once more and he was determined to make her see stars before he let go. He reached down to where they were connected and stroked her bud with each thrust.

She met him thrust for thrust throwing her head back and forth on the pillow. "Let go, Bella." he told her. "Let go for me sweetness."

"I'm...again?" she muttered disbelievingly. "Oh my...Edward!" she shouted out his name as she fell apart for the second time that night. He followed her shouting hers.

*~*~*~*~*~*ExB*~*~*~*~*~*

He was dreaming. He was certain that he had to be dreaming. Last night had been amazing. He had never felt a connection with a woman like he did with Bella. Now she was lying in his arms curled into his side. Her hand traced the outlines of his pectoral muscles and slowly began a trek downward. Her delicate fingers traced each abdominal muscle in their path.

By the time she had reached the V of his hip muscles his erection was at full mast and begging for attention. He didn't have to wait long. Her warm little hand wrapped around him and gave him a tug. He moaned and arched into her touch. Her hand squeezed him a little tighter as she repeated her action. This time he moaned her name.

After a few more he felt her other hand sweep over his sensitive head. He hissed at the sensation as she rubbed her palm over him and pulled up at the same time. God, she was good that this. He didn't want to think about how or why just that he hoped he didn't wake up. He thrust up into her hands craving more.

He felt her shift slightly but she continued her ministrations on him. He begged her to go faster but she kept her methodical pace. Her hands left him and he couldn't stop the whimper from falling from his lips.

He was suddenly surrounded by wet heat and his eyes shot open. He wasn't dreaming. It all had been happening. Good God. There Bella was her beautiful lips wrapped around him. His hands went to the back of her head and tangled in her hair. He couldn't stop himself from thrusting up into her as she worked him over with her mouth and tongue. Her hand wrapped around what couldn't fit in her mouth.

"Bella, baby I'm close," he tried moving her but she swatted his hands away and took him even deeper in her mouth. "Oh, God," he muttered as he fell back to the pillows. Bella reached around and grabbed his balls at the same time as he felt himself hit the back of her throat and he lost it spilling himself into her mouth.

She cleaned him lovingly and when she was done he couldn't wait any longer. "Come here," he said pulling her body on top of his as he brought her lips to his. He could taste himself there on her tongue and he couldn't help but grin.

She pulled away from him with a smug smile. "Good morning," she said resting her head on her hands that lie on his chest.

He couldn't hold in the snort of laughter, "I'll say." He ran his hands down her back. He felt her shiver lightly and he pulled the blanket up so she was covered more. She kissed his chest lightly. "Not that I'm complaining but what the hell was that for?"

Bella blushed lightly and buried her face in his chest as she mumbled something he couldn't catch.

"Don't be embarrassed baby. I enjoyed it but I was just curious."

"I don't know. Last night was amazing and you took such good care of me, I wanted to do the same thing for you."

"My sweet girl," he said leaning down to kiss her head, "you do that just by breathing."

**End notes: So there it is the Lemon you've been waiting 22 chapters for. Was it good for you? Leave me some love please, you have no idea how nervous I am about this chapter.**


	25. A different POV outtake

**A/N: Yes I know it's a miracle. There are so many excuses that I could give for the lack of the updates. The fact is that I just have had no time at all to write. I'm trying to make time. The good news is that here shortly my work will be cutting back my hours and while that will leave me broke it will definitely give me more time to write. So again super big sorry from me! That is if any of you are still reading. This is a short one and kind of a filler. I wrote it to get back into the characters so I suppose it could be considered an outtake. It's also unbeta'd, because my beta's have been super swamped lately as well. I wanted to share it anyway...enjoy...see you at the bottom.**

_Mystery POV..._

I absentmindedly applied my blush to my cheeks. It was fine before but I needed something to keep my hands busy. The last thing I needed was to do something to jeopardize our position in the competition. The school was already talking about letting me go. Apparently teaching wasn't really a forte of mine. I was lucky that I was a champion...is what they had said. I suppose the fact that I was sleeping with dean would work to my advantage only as long as his wife never found out. The head of our council had been hitting on me. I suppose if things go sour I could give in...God my life was so fucked up.

It hadn't always been this way. In fact there was a time that I was cared for, loved even. I had a secure future, but my mother had always told me, "Never settle for good, always aim for better." I was approached with what at the time I thought was a better deal from a rival school. It was a considerable raise and I would still have the option of going out to compete. It only took me about a month to realize what a mistake I had made. Edward, though sometimes a bit too emotional, cared for me, looked out for me. My new "partner" really only cared about himself. He was a brute to work with. He was overbearing, mean, and pushed me too hard. But Edward had stopped taking my calls and his bitch of a sister seemed to anticipate every move I made.

When my source informed me that Edward had registered for this particular showcase I jumped at the chance to be here. It was one of the few competitions since I had left him nearly three years ago that I was looking forward to. When I had seen him at the hotel it was like not a day had passed. No that wasn't right, because he had gotten even more handsome. Just the sight of him almost made me week in the knees, then _she_ showed up.

Just thinking about the way he looked at her filled me with anger again. I tried everything those stupid fucking yoga instructors had taught me. Channel your anger...channel it to what? I'd like to channel it on her innocent little face. Deep breathing...all that did was make me feel like an idiot. Picturing myself on a serene beach was a complete joke. I let out a frustrated growl and slammed my makeup brush down. The girl standing next to me jumped in surprise. I shot her a scathing look and the younger woman quickly scurried away. If only the precious Bella Swan was that easy to scare. But it seemed that nothing I threw at little miss perfect seemed to even phase her.

The only thing that seemed to even bother her slightly was when I mentioned New York. That was curious...

I looked over and saw her standing there with that little whore Jessica Stanley and the mousy geek from Dance Magazine, who refused to give me an interview. They both laughed at something she said. What was it about her that made people instantly like her. She wasn't all that pretty. I suppose she was talented if you looked past her lack of polish. But to hear anyone talk the sun shone out her ass. No one was that perfect. She had to have some skeletons in her girl next door closet, and I knew just the man to find them.

I took my phone out and selected it's name from my contacts.

"Jenks here," he answered sounding bored.

"Jay...long day?" I asked with sarcastic sweetness.

"Ms. I didn't realize..." he stuttered out.

I let him go on for a few moments before I cut him off, "Jay, I need you to do some digging for me." My eyes narrowed as I saw Edward embrace her. He had never been so open with PDA with me. "Her name is Isabella Swan. I want everything you can find on her. Down to what she had for breakfast ten years ago."

"Right away."

I hung up my phone with a satisfied snap. I felt a smile spread over my face. "Enjoy him for now," I said as I crossed my arms and leaned against my makeup station still staring the happy couple down. "Enjoy him for now.."

**End notes: How did you like it. I'm writing the new chapter when I can. Send me a review. It will inspire me to keep going. Love you all bunches!**


	26. Awakening

**A/N: okay so this is finally the new chapter. I'm a little afraid to ask my beta's if they have time for this chapter so I'm just gonna post it as is. So please forgive any drastic mistakes.**

When Bella woke up for the third time sometime around eleven, she couldn't help the deliriously happy smile that spread across her face. She closed her eyes again and let her mind wander. She touched her lips softly, remembering how he'd sweetly woken her sometime around eight in the morning, only to tire her out completely. Her other hand went to her tangled mess of hair and she let out a giggle knowing exactly why it looked that way. She reached her hand over to the other side of the bed but was only met with cold sheets. She opened her eyes and looked over. No Edward. The bathroom door was open, so he wasn't taking a shower. The door to the other part of the suite was closed.

"Edward?" She called out.

"In here!" he yelled back from the living room.

She got up from the bed taking the sheet and wrapping it around herself like a toga and headed toward the living room. As she got closer to the door she could hear noise coming from the other side. She figured he must have been watching TV. How sweet was it that he went to the other room to watch the television so not to wake her up? Was there anything this man didn't think of? She smiled softly as she opened the door. "Well come back to bed. I woke up alo-ahhh!" the word finished in a scream.

Edward wasn't alone in the living room. As quickly as she could, she scrambled back to the bedroom slamming the door behind her. She ran strait to the bathroom locking the door. She slid down the bathroom door and pulled her knees up and rested her head against them.

"Bella?" Came Edward's voice from the other side of the door.

"Go away."

"I'm sorry. I didn't even think." There was a pause and then the handle rattled. "Bella," she heard Edward sighed. "Please open the door."

She wiped the tears of embarrassment from her cheeks. "No."

He must have heard her sniffling because his tone was much softer when he spoke again, "Baby it's not as bad as you think."

Hearing him call her baby almost broke her resolve. The sound of it rolling off his lips reminded her of their night together. But her current embarrassment won out over the lust. "Not as bad as I think? Edward your siblings just saw me practically naked!"

Bella heard a soft thud and she could almost see him hitting his head against the door. "Bella...Please just open the door and talk to me."

The tone in his voice made her stand up and unlock the door. It was a mix of desperation and exasperation. She twisted the handle slowly and cracked it open. She couldn't look him in the eyes. Instead she looked down at herself still wound in the sheet from the bed. "Bella..." Edward's voice begged for her to look at him, but she just couldn't do it. "Baby." That time she did risk a glance. He gave her a sad smile. "Come here, beautiful." He extended his arms and Bella walked over to him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her head into rest on his bare chest. "Honey..." he slowly began running his hand over her head and down her back . "Bella it's not like my parents..."

Bella jerked back to look at his face. "Your parents? Your parents were out there!"

"Bella..." he tried pulling her back to him.

She shook her head avoiding his grasp. "No, Edward! It was bad enough when I thought it was just your brother and sister, but your parents? Your father? My boss?"

"Baby please." Edward tried again to bring her back to him.

Bella tried again to get out of his grasp, but this time she wasn't all the way successful. "No." He said firmly, pulling her struggling form to him trapping her arms between them.

"Stop it. Let me go." She demanded half heartedly. They both knew that if she wanted to get away, she could. But in all honesty, his comfort was exactly what she wanted.

"Not until you listen to me, Bella."

"I've never been so embarrassed," she sobbed into his chest.

"Baby, listen to me." He started to rub her back again. "They've seen more of you in your dance costumes."

She pulled back slightly to look him in the eyes, "But this is different. They all know why I'm like this."

He brought one hand up and pushed some of the hair from around her face and tucked it behind her ear. "Bella...are you...are you ashamed of what happened?"

"What?" Why would he think that? She looked into his eyes and saw an uncertainty there that she'd never seen before. "No," she said quickly. She didn't want to see him unsure of her or their relationship. He was the one that broke eye contact this time.

"Then why worry about what they think?" he asked. She had to think about that for a minute. Why did she care what they thought? Yes they were her colleagues, but they were also her friends. True, Esme had always been supportive of her getting to _know_ Edward better. But _suspecting_ that Bella's having sex with her baby boy and having it confirmed are two separate things. She wasn't really worried about Alice. She'd be thrilled. "Sweetheart, it doesn't matter." Edward assured her. "It isn't going to change a thing." Her face must have still held some uncertainty because he added, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

He moved to cup her face with both of his hands. "Then please...don't let it worry you."

Bella sighed and tried to push away her unease about the situation. "Okay." She snuggled back into his arms for a moment before pulling away with a shocking thought. "Wait your parents are here. What about Abby?" She saw a smile slowly spread across Edward's face and she knew without a doubt what it was about. "She's here?"

Suddenly there was a timid knock at the bedroom door. It was Alice and in her arms was Bella's pride and joy. "Can we come in yet?" Alice asked softly, coming in anyway and closing the door back behind her.

Bella rushed over to her and grabbed Abby and cuddled her close. "Oh baby! Mommy missed you so much." She peppered kisses all over Abby's face until she giggled and put her little hands on her momma's face. Bella looked up at Alice with the biggest smile imaginable. "Did you do this?" she asked her best friend. Alice smiled and shook her head, pointing to her brother.

Edward walked over to where Bella now stood with Abby and pulled her back against his chest and kissed her on the shoulder."It didn't feel right leaving her, mom and dad behind. Besides you needed your biggest fan here to see you compete. Isn't that right Miss Abigail?" he said the last part reaching around Bella to tickle Abby. She gurgled and waved her arms at him.

Bella looked over her shoulder at him. "Could you be any more perfect?" she asked.

"I'm far from perfect, love."

"I beg to differ." Bella argued leaning in to kiss his lips gently. They were interrupted by a distinct cough. Bella's cheeks reddened and Edward buried his nose into her neck. "Sorry, Alice."

She giggled slightly. "It's okay Bella I know that you two can't help yourselves. Edward would you be a dear and go and order Bella something to eat."

He looked in-between Alice and Bella before nodding with a smile. He placed a kiss on the top of Bella's head and reached around and took Abby from Bella's arms and left them in the room alone.

Bella went to her suitcase which was still mostly packed. Alice giggled "Didn't have much time to unpack I see."

Bella blushed and mumbled a, "Shut up Alice."

"What? I'm not saying that it's a bad thing. In fact I'm thrilled." Alice almost sat down on the bed but stopped mid action with a grimace.

Bella giggled. "Really?"

Alice rolled her eyes and went over to sit in the chair. "Of course I am." Bella glanced at the bed with a raised brow. "I said I was happy for you, not that I want to sit where it happened."

"Well then I'd sit in the other chair if I were you."

Alice jumped up quickly. "Eww! Really?"

Bella laughed. "No."

"Not funny Bella." Alice admonished.

"Yes it was."

"Okay it was a little funny." Alice said with a indulgent smile. "It's good to see you smile again Bells. We're all happy for you."

Bella Scoffed. "I doubt your parents think much of me right now." Unless it's along the lines of _that tramp, s_he thought.

"Honestly Bella, my parents are only worried about embarrassing you." Bella threw a look over he shoulder at her friend. "Really." Alice tried to assure her. "Mom had almost given up on seeing Edward settled down. She's over the moon. And Dad...well dad is just happy that Edward's not gay."

"What?" Bella dropped the top that she had just picked up.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that," Alice hurried to explain. "It's just that dad really wanted grandchildren."

"Carlisle?" Bella found it hard to believe that it was the _father _who was making the push for future babies.

"Don't sound so surprised. Dad is a big softy. No. Not that one." She got up and snatched the green top from Bella and held up a dark blue one. "Wear this one. You look amazing in blue." Bella smiled at her indulgently as she slipped the top on. "Anyway...There's a reason why dad opened the Acadamy and even a bigger reason why a good number of the students are there on scholarships. He loves kids."

"And _you_ couldn't give him grandchildren?" Bella asked as she shimmied into a pair of underwear and some shorts.

Alice rolled her eyes at the question. "Please...my last boyfriend ended up leaving me...for another man."

Bella looked at Alice. She hadn't really talked with her friend about guys before. Alice always seemed so sure of herself, but the sadness that came through the sarcasm in her voice made Bella wonder if Alice wasn't as strong as she thought. "Alice. That doesn't mean..."

"I know. I know." She waved her hand in the air, dismissing the statement and the thoughts of her last relationship. "I'd like to be in a committed relationship before I think about kids. Even in the abstract. Although if they're all as well behaved as your little one..." Alice trailed off with a smile on her face.

Bella laughed lightly. "I wouldn't count on it too much Alice. I've been told how lucky I am by every mother I meet. She was such a quiet baby I was worried that something was wrong."

"So do you wanna know what you missed while you were up here sexing up my brother?" Alice asked with a waggle of her eyebrows. Bella gave her a bland look as she sunk down onto the bed and curled her legs up in front of her. "What too soon?" When Bella gave her no response other than a snort she continued. "Well you'll be happy to know that the standings have you and Edward in second place."

"What?" Bella stopped brushing her hair.

"Don't act so surprised Bella. The connection between you and Edward was enough to put you up in the front runners and your technique was next to impeccable." Alice rattled off.

Bella shook her head. "I slipped. It was noticeable. I thought for sure they would have knocked us down for that."

"The judges noticed, but the crowd loved you," Alice explained. "And that's really the important part of this whole thing. I mean the whole purpose is to recruit the younger dancers for the school.

Bella continued trying to get the brush through her tangled mess of hair. "So who's in first?"

"Satan and her new partner." Alice spat out. She looked up at Bella, who made an effort to school her facial features. Alice's eye brows rose. "No reaction?"

Bella shrugged, "What can I say? They _are _amazing dancers. And she is Satan. She's got a shitty personality, yes, but if that were a judging characteristic I'm sure most competitors would be out of the running. They picked a song that played up her sexuality. They're playing smart. Showing off their assets. Besides Antonio is nice enough."

Alice looked at her with a disbelieving grin. "You are a good person, Bella Swan."

"That she is indeed," Edward said with a different type of smile. "Your breakfast is here, love."

Bella was checking her makeup one last time when Tanya appeared. "How does second best feel?"

Bella took a deep breath smiled over at her competitor through the mirror. "Hello Tanya, congratulations on first place," she said and she continued putting on blush.

"Oh I wasn't talking about the competition," she said in a snide tone of voice leaning on the adjoining makeup station.

Bella slammed her make up brush down on the vanity and turned toward the blond harpy. "It really bothers you that he's happy with me doesn't it?"

"Happy?" She asked snorting and rolling her eyes, pulling out a tube of deep red lip color. "Please. You are nothing but a blip on the radar. An unsuitable place holder for me." She finished applying her lipstick and blew a kiss at her reflection.

Bella looked at her in shock. "You. Left. Him." she explained slowly. "He has every right to move on, and he has. _You_ need to let it go."

Tanya cocked an overly manicured brow at Bella. "Listen here Ballerina Barbie, You may have him for now. But we _all_ know that he is _way_ to good for you. He just feels sorry for you." Tanya took a step closer to Bella. Tanya lowered her voice to just above a whisper. "No one wanted you in New York and no one wants you _here._" Bella's jaw clenched as Tanya continued, "When Edward finally wises up and leaves you, I'll be the first one to stand and cheer."

Bella took the final step closing the distance between them. They stood there nose to nose and just as Bella was about to open her mouth to tell her off she heard. "Tanya!" Another familiar voice called out. The blond turned her back on Bella and toward the other person.

"You're looking a little lopsided today," the new comer said indicating her chest area.

Tanya scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her. "Fuck you, Stanley," she spat before stomping off.

"No thanks I'd rather not catch anything."

Bella smiled at the other woman. "Thanks Jessica," she said. "You didn't have to do that."

Jess smiled. "Yes I did. Tanya is a Grade A bitch."

The other woman that was with her piped up. "Jess should know. She's at least a B."

Jessica gave her a sarcastic smile. "Bella this is my supposed best _friend_ Angela Webber," she introduced.

"Nice to meet you Angela." Bella said as she reached out to shake the woman's hand.

"I'm a huge fan." she gushed. "As soon as Jess told me she had been talking to you I just knew I had to see if I could talk to you."

Bella shot a confused look toward Jessica. "You'll have to excuse her. Ang writes for Dance Magazine."

Angela looked down embarrassed, "Oh goodness. I'm sorry. Sometimes I just can't turn it off."

"It's fine Angela, I actually remember where I know you from now. You wrote a feature about me in Giselle. It was amazing."

"I can't believe that you read that." Angela almost squealed.

Bella chuckled. "Of course I did. I'd love to talk but I've got to finish getting ready. Maybe later?"

"Oh my god, of course. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. Really. You don't have to keep apologizing. I think it actually might be really good if I talked you, maybe you could right a story on the school I'm teaching at."

"I'd love that!"

Jessica smiled indulgently at her friend. "I told you she was as awesome, Ange."

Bella turned toward Jessica, "Jess, I didn't know you were here competing."

Jess gave a sarcastic smile. "Oh I know. The way you were looking at Edward yesterday there was no one else in the world."

Bella tried to cover her red face, "Shut it."

"I'm surprised everyone in the room didn't combust," she continued.

"Jess..." Bella tried again.

"Seriously, Mike owes you a long, hard, loud thank you." She held her hands above her head and undulated her hips.

Bella doubled over in laughter. "Oh My God! You're impossible!"

Edward came up behind Bella and pulled her snugly against him. "Hi there ladies. Is everything okay?"

"Oh god yes!" Jess yelled out loudly, drawing even more attention to their group.

Bella smacked her arm, "Jess. Stop it!" Bella turned her attention back to Edward. "Everything's fine."

"Are you sure?" His tone was still serious. "I saw Tanya make her way from this direction."

"Edward seriously. Don't worry about it." She turned in his arms and put her hands on his chest. "Jealous girls are not exactly a new phenomenon for me. I was a ballet dancer. Far more and far better dancers than Tanya Denali have tried to get inside my head. Besides Jess took care of her."

"Really?" He asked raising a brow.

Jess shrugged, "What can I say. I felt a disturbance in the force."

Edward chuckled at her response. "Trust me when I say I'm fine." Bella assured him.

"Okay. I trust you. I still want to know what she said to you."

"And I'll tell you," she promised pulling out of his arms to look at him better. "After we go out there and beat her ass on the dance floor."

"Well said!" Jess chimed in and Bella looked over and laughed with her friend.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked extending his hand to her.

"I was born ready," Bella winked at him and took his hand. "Bye guys. I'll get your number from Jess later Angela. It was nice meeting you." she said over her shoulder to Jess and Angela.

She caught their wave as the announcer introduced them, "From Seattle Washington, representing Volterra Dance Academy. Please give it up for Bella Swan and Edward Cullen."

The idea for this dance had come when they were taking a break from working on choreography one night. Bella had turned on the radio and was fooling around when Michel Buble's song "Haven't met you yet" came on. Both she and Edward confessed that they loved the song. He said it reminded him of that day that he danced with her at Maggie's birthday and she loved it because of it's old school feel. And as if he weren't perfect enough, Edward also told her that he knew exactly how the singer felt because he realized that's how he felt before meeting her.

The back story for this dance was that they were two strangers waiting for the bus who just meet and feel an attraction to each other. The dance is all what goes on in their heads while they're too shy to actually introduce themselves.

They make their way out to the bench that they had shipped as part of their performance and sit side by side. They each grab a newspaper and open it up holding it in front of their faces. The lights were still dimmed as the band shuffled their music and prepared themselves for the song. Bella closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

No matter how many times she went on the stage she would always have that little bit of stage fright. Her old teacher had told her that it would more than likely never go away. It just showed how much you cared for what you were going to perform. Now that she was out there just sitting down her nerves were kicking in. She could feel someone staring at her so she opened her eyes to glance over at Edward. He had the strangest look on his face. It was a combination of serenity, happiness, and surprise. Just as the crowds applause died down and the conductor tapped on his music stand Edward mouthed the words "I love you."

She felt her whole body come alive at the words. She hadn't really heard them but there was no mistaking what he had just said. Before she had a chance to respond the music started. She didn't have to fake the smile that spread across her face as they slipped into their hold for the first part of the dance. Edward loved her. It was a dream come true. She knew that his feelings were strong but she didn't think that he could _love_ her. After a while though she couldn't help but giggle lightly at the extra bounce in Edward's steps. His eyes were shining as they held hers. She was dancing on air the whole time. He loved her. Edward Loved her. More importantly she loved _him_. That fact was crystal clear in this moment. How had she not known this before now? The crowd cheered as they returned to their original positions. They got up and she immediately pulled him to her for a hug and kissed his lips softly. "I love you too, Edward. So much."

**Endnotes: okay they said i love you! how cute are they! please let me know what you think?**


	27. turning pointe

**A/N: Hey there folks. I promised an update on monday and it's monday...sorry that it's late in the day. Right now this chapter is unbeta'd as i'm waiting to hear from my new beta **famaggiolo **about this chapter. I'll repost when I do get it back and edited but I didn't want to wait.**

Chapter 25 – Turning Pointe

The weeks that followed the trip to Las Vegas were spent in pure happiness. They took a break from working on competition pieces and even working on their own part for the showcase and focused on their teaching and on themselves. Edward, Bella and Abby fell into a comfortable routine. Edward hadn't stayed at his house since they returned. He couldn't bring himself to leave Bella and Abby now that he had found them. And Bella didn't seem to mind his constant presence. Bella was working with her advanced pointe class in the auditorium so after he finished up with his Latin class he headed there, hoping to catch her in time to go to lunch.

"Hi Mr. Masen." two of the girls giggled as they passed him in the aisle. He smiled softly at them and kept moving toward Bella who was at the front of the room talking to a young girl.

"You'll get it Macy." He saw Bella lay her hand on the petite girl's leg. "You're almost there. It'll be perfect by the showcase."

The girl scoffed but her eyes looked sad. Edward decided to hang back and give Bella some private time with her student. "How do you know?" the girl asked.

Though Edward couldn't see her, he knew that Bella was smiling. "Because I can see it." The girl still looked disbelieving. "Not in the movement but in the _feeling_ behind it. A beautiful dancer isn't one with the correct steps. Technique can come to anyone with enough work. A beautiful dancer is one that dances from the inside out. You have passion. The fact that you're so worried about doing well tells me that you care. A lesser person would be sure of themselves." Bella dropped her voice down and Edward could barely hear what she said. "I'll tell you a secret. I still get stage fright. That little bit of fear gives you an edge. It means you know that you _could_ fail, but trust yourself to know that you won't."

The girl sighed, but smiled none the less. "Thank you, Ms. Swan."

"Your welcome Macy. Now hurry on. You don't want to be late for your next class." With that the girl scurried off to grab her bag and race down the aisle. He watched as Bella shook her head and then went to collect her papers from her director's table.

Edward couldn't help but smile as he slipped his arms around her from the back. She startled at first but almost immediately leaned back into his embrace when she realized that they were alone. "You're so good with them."

"So are you. I've seen you with your students." She turned in his arms, brushing against him in a torturous way. "I've seen you with Abby. You are going to make one hell of a father one day."

He couldn't help it, he pulled her the rest of the way against him and captured her lips with his. Bella surrendered for a few moments but then she seemed to remember where they were and pushed against his shoulders to force them apart. "We shouldn't be doing this here," she said glancing around the room.

"What _should_ we be doing then?" Edward teased her, pulling on her hips to get her attention.

Bella gave him a sardonic look. "Edward, I'm serious. What if one of the students sees?"

He just smiled at her. "Then they'll know how hopelessly," he kissed one cheek. "in love," he kissed the other cheek. "I am," he kissed her on the nose. "with you."

And with a shake of her head Bella pulled him back to her lips.

"Well what do we have here?" An accented voice broke them apart. It wasn't one of the students that caught them in their very inappropriate, but the director of the school's board. Bella immediately blushed a deep red.

Edward just smiled over at the older gentleman, and wouldn't let Bella escape his grasp. "Aro, I didn't realize you were coming to tour today."

Aro didn't seem particularly offended by their current position he just smiled softly at the pair of them. "It wasn't exactly planned," he sighed. "I actually came to ask the lovely Ms. Swan if she would be willing to accompany me to an event tomorrow. I had hoped to be the envy of everyone there. I surely would with her on my arm." This of course caused Bella to blush once more and Edward simply chuckled. Aro continued, "It's a charity event. Both the school and myself personally are sponsoring it. It's featuring a performance by the Russian Ballet. I thought that you would enjoy it."

"Thank you for thinking of me Mr. Voltouri, but I already have plans with Edward and his family for tomorrow night. I hope you enjoy yourself." Bella tried to politely excuse herself from the invitation.

"Come now Edward,"Aro admonished jokingly. "Can't you spare her for one evening?"

Edward pulled Bella closer again. "I'm afraid I can't, sir."

Aro smiled once more. "Yes I see that now. Oh well, ce la vi. You will both be accompanying me then?"

Bella looked at Edward in confusion. "We'd enjoy that," Edward answered. Knowing that he didn't really have much of a choice. He didn't want to offend the older man.

"Very good. I'll pick you up at around seven at Miss Swan's residence." His eyes twinkled with mischief. "As you were!" he called out as he walked out.

Bella and Edward both laughed outright at that last statement. "Well the good news is, I like the grandfather much more than the father or the son." Bella commented between her chuckles.

Edward nodded his agreement. "Aro is unique, but mostly harmless. His son and grandson however are another story entirely." Bella remembered her first encounter with 'creeper' James and his father. She hoped that they wouldn't be at the event tomorrow. "They rely on Aro for their situation in life. I have a feeling Ciaus and James are simply counting down the seconds till he keels over and dies. They'll have to wait a while longer. He's as spry as he was when he was twenty, but perhaps a little more handsy. Alice and I look on him as our perverted uncle."

That made Bella laugh again. "Who has he been handsy with in the past? Surely not Alice?"

"No not Alice, but Esme..."

Bella's mouth dropped open, "Really?"

Edward laughed at her shocked expression. "Yes really?"

Bella grabbed one of her bags and Edward grabbed the other and they made their way out of the auditorium. Suddenly where they were going seemed to settle into her mind. "So we're going to the ballet tomorrow?"

"Apparently."

An almost evil smile came over her then. "Well then, since you're the one that told him yes... you're the one that has to tell your parents that we can't make it to dinner." Edward let out a noise of protest. "Don't groan. It's your fault. Besides I have to call your sister because I don't have anything to wear." and with that they both walked out hand and hand into the sunshine.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*E/B*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Edward and Maggie were so focused on fussing over who was going to hold the baby that they didn't realize that Bella had even come in the room. She coughed to draw their attention. She smoothed her hands down the dress she was wearing. "Bella you look..." Edward seemed to be struggling to find the right words.

"Is this okay?" She gestured to the dark blue dress that Alice had lent her for the occasion. Because of their height difference, the dress was a good bit shorter on her than it was on Alice but it was still acceptable to wear. Plus she didn't exactly have a lot of time to find something.

"More than okay. You look stunning." Edward said kissing her softly. "I think Abby agrees with me, don't you baby?"

"Aw not fair. You can't use her cuteness for evil." Bella chuckled and took the baby.

"Careful my lamb, don't let her ruin your dress." Maggie warned.

Both Bella and Edward were surprised when Aro himself appeared at the door.

"Edward," Aro greeted when he answered the door. "Bella you look lovely." He said and then he seemed to realize that Bella had something in her arms. "Who is this little angel?" He asked in wonder as he stepped closer to investigate Abby.

Edward looked at Bella with a slight panic in his eyes. "Oh...Aro this is..."

Bella smiled at his concern for her, but she didn't want to make Edward lie for her. Was there any real reason why this needed to remain a secret here. They could know that she had a daughter without knowing who her farther was. "This is Abby. My daughter."

Aro's shock was evident. "Bella I didn't know that you had a daughter."

Her smile was sad as she replied, "Not many do. In this industry I've found it's best if you keep your private life private."

Aro placed a sympathetic hand on her arm. "I understand." He moved his gaze back to the baby. "She is beautiful. May I?" He gestured to ask to hold her. The way that he was looking at her showed Bella more than Aro would ever tell to anyone. In that one moment Bella could tell how much he had always yearned for another grandchild.

"Of course." Bella answered and handed him the bundle. He talked to the child and held her like one would expect an expert to.

"She looks very much like you Bella, except for the hair she could your twin." He turned his attention back to the baby then, "Yes, you're just as beautiful as your mother."

"Thank you." Bella said, but for what she was thanking him for she wasn't sure. She decided then that she would make sure that Aro could be around more often.

Maggie had been hanging back to allow the older gentleman time with Abby but now she spoke up. "Alright. Hand the lass over and no one gets hurt." She said it with a smile on her face and Aro gave her up reluctantly. Bella would have to figure out a way to broach the subject of him spending time with her later.

"Thanks Mags." Bella said as she grabbed her clutch from the table.

"No problem sweetie. I missed the little one while we were gone."

Aro held out his arm for Bella. "Come my lady. Your chariot awaits. Oh yes Edward, age before beauty." Bella was laughing as Edward followed with a indulgent smile.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*E/B*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That next morning Bella woke with a smile again. She had a good time at the charity event. Aro kept her firmly in arm most of the night, which left Edward to pout, usually close, behind. She knew a few of the dancers on that stage. Which made the whole thing a little bittersweet. She had performed with a good deal of them. To know that she could have been up there performing if life had dealt her a different hand was saddening. But as soon as that thought had entered her mind she felt Edwards hand in hers and she couldn't find it in herself to be depressed.

When they got home, they checked on Abby who was sleeping soundly, picked up the baby monitor from Maggie and then made their way to Bella's bedroom where Edward made her forget sadness all together.

She walked into the baby's room which they had started using more and more now that Edward was here more often than not. She picked up Abby from her bassinet and changed her into a dry diaper before going to find Edward. She found him in the kitchen in nothing but his boxers happily cooking away. He had claimed that he wasn't good at cooking anything, but that had proved to be false. He was actually very good at cooking breakfast.

It struck her how domestic it all was. Edward cooking breakfast in his underwear while she fed Abby and started the laundry. Them all sitting together in the living room after breakfast to watch cartoons, both Abby and herself nodding off to take a contented nap. Edward had to leave a little after lunch. He needed to go back to his apartment. Claiming he needed to knock the dust off the top of everything and collect more clothes. He said he'd be back in a few hours. He kissed Bella on the forehead before he rushed out the door. About five minutes after he left there was a knock on the door.

Bella went to answer the door with a smile on her face. She really needed to get him a key. "Did you forget something?" The words died on her lips when she saw that the lanky form in the doorway wasn't Edward.

"Yeah the part where you told me I became a father." said the blond man standing there.

"Jasper? What are you doing here?" The words came out no louder than a whisper. All of her air seemed to be sucked away from her.

"I came to see my daughter." He said harshly. It was a voice that she had never heard from him before. It scared her slightly. She glanced to see that several of her neighbors had stopped their chores to stare.

"I think you should come inside." She said opening the door wider to allow him in. As she shut it she could only hope that all the ghosts of her past hadn't just showed up on her doorstep.

**A/N:*ducks down behind desk* who do you think it is? Leave me your guesses in a review and get a teaser from the next chapter.**


	28. AN

Okay so...if you are checking this for the first time and it's Tuesday well sorry there is no chapter. I posted the chapter on Monday and thanks to some very hateful people who chose to hide behind the anonymous review function that this site won't let us disable I've decided to take the chapter down. Apparently when things don't go the way that some people want to they resort in hurtful tirades and snide remarks and don't have the balls to actually log in so I can have the decency to reply.

In the past few hours I have been attacked as an author and personally multiple times. When I was younger my grandfather always told me to just ignore it. That it would all stop eventually if you gave them no acknowledgment. But guess what? Ignoring it doesn't make it hurt any less.

Fine...you don't like what I wrote. I'm not forcing you to read it. So by all means just STOP reading it. Does belittling a person really make you feel better? Is that how you validate your life? Because in my country we call that bullying. And before I have to hear all this stuff about how I need a thicker skin...calling me a "Mother Fucker" and I do believe another called ME "a waste of valuable space" …is in no way constructive criticism of my work here.

However cruel some of these things that were said I guess I need to say thank one of you. because you made me realize a few things. Perhaps I didn't explain Edward's reaction enough. Even though I feel like I was beating a dead horse by completely laying out the cluster fuck that I deem the male mind. I apparently need to spell everything out in big bold letters for some of you.

So even though you say you won't be reading the story anymore and that I "Killed it" for you...I'm taking it down anyway at least until I can rewrite the ending of the chapter. For those of you that were supportive or at least courteous with your criticisms...I'm not really changing a damn thing. I liked the chapter. I liked where it ended. I liked where I had taken the next chapter...which explained how things got so messed up in this one...but that will more than likely change.

For those of you that didn't get a chance to read it before it was taken down. I'm sorry. But the actions of few spoil for many. I'm not sure when or if I'll update again.


	29. Past Actions and Current Consequences

**A/N: So most of you have probably read the A/N that I posted. I took down this chapter because I was having a week day and being attacked repeatedly just made me start to second guess a lot of things including your all's feelings about the story. For those of you that read it before nothing has really changed. I added only a few sentences and those were all in the last segment. Thanks to all of you that talked me off the proverbial ledge. Maybe I just needed to hear your guys response. So I'm sorry for my weakness...but thank you for being my strength for me.**

**For those of you that haven't read the chapter. Please bear with me. Remember I am a HEA girl! And also that not everything is that what it seems.**

Jasper looked at her incredulously as she just let him walk in. "So you're not gonna deny it? You have a daughter?" He asked harshly.

Bella sighed as she shut and locked the door. "I'm not going to deny the truth." she turned to face him. "Yes I have a daughter."

"Unbelievable!" He shouted.

Bella walked toward him quickly. "Will you please lower your voice Abby's asleep," she whispered harshly.

She could see that he was still angry but he didn't immediately retort. "Abby? Is that her... is that her name?" He asked his voice softer, almost a whisper.

"Yes."

He took a step toward her, he reached out like he was going to touch her but she pulled away. She saw the hurt that accompanied her action. "Bella... help me understand. We were together for over a year and then I wake up one day and your gone and then a few weeks ago I find out that I've been a father? And you never thought I deserved to know?"

"Jasper... please..." She begged him to stop.

Her plea seemed to spark his anger again. "No. I have every right to be angry! You kept this a secret from me. What I don't understand is why? I would have taken care of you Bella. I was young but I would have been a man. I would have stepped up and provided for you and our child..."

She couldn't listen to him go on about it any longer. "She isn't yours," she interrupted him.

That caught his attention. "What?"

Bella sighed again; preparing herself for the yelling that was sure to come. "Abby isn't yours, Jasper," she explained as evenly as she could.

He didn't immediately start screaming accusations at her like she had expected. Instead he looked like he was contemplating something. "Then why did he have... that son of a bitch!"

"Jasper?" His statement confused her. Who was he talking about?

Jasper was on a roll though and didn't even seem to notice Bella's obvious confusion. He began pacing in the hall. "I knew that he was shit but I didn't know he was that low," he muttered before stopping and turning to Bella. "What did he do?" His question caught her off guard. She stood there with her mouth opening and closing. He grabbed her hands affectionately. "Did he tell you, you didn't have a choice? That he would fire you if you didn't comply? Did he blackmail you? What did my _father_ do to you to make you agree? Bella, you can tell me." His questions were asked so rapidly that even if Bella had known how to answer she wouldn't have been able to. Gone was the angry man that had met her at he door. This was the sweet man that she had met and cared for.

She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. "I didn't agree. I never would have..." she couldn't finish the statement.

"He..." Whatever Jasper was going to say was interrupted by the baby monitor sounding with Abby's loud cry.

Bella looked down at the white device on her belt. She smiled up at Jasper and walked away. As they entered the living room she turned to him. "Wait right here, give me just one minute." she begged him and she made her way toward Abby's room. She picked up Abby and took her to the changing table, to change her diaper. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Jasper standing in the door way. Bella sighed. "I told you to wait out there."

He shrugged, not looking in the least bit sorry for not doing as she asked. "I couldn't help it." He took a step closer to Bella. "Is this her? Is this Abby?"

"Yes," Bella groaned out as she picked up the heavy child from the table. She held Abby next to her and bounced up and down." It's short for Abigail."

Jasper gave her a sad smile. "Your grandmother's name."

"Yeah." Bella was surprised that he remembered something so trivial as her grandmother's name. Bella went over to sit down in the rocking chair and began rocking back and forth. It was quiet for a long moment. No sound but the gentle sound of wood moving back and forth. "I didn't want you to think less of me..." she began after a while.

Jasper immediately jumped in, "Bella you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I know what happened now. You don't have to relive it if you don't want to."

"Of course I don't want to relive it. But I have been." She looked up at the ceiling. "I've been reliving it for the past two years of my life." She stopped then. Jasper didn't say anything. He just let her gather her thoughts in silence. Finally she began again. "It was at your birthday party. He had been making advances for a while now, but I always turned him down. I tried to be nice about it. He was your dad and my boss. I thought he was being inordinately nice that night. I thought it was because of my grandmother's passing that he was being that way. I thought that maybe, just maybe he was starting to see that I would be a fixture in his life and not as one of his playthings, but as his daughter in law. He was hanging around a lot, but that in its self wasn't weird. He was trying to be charming. Fetching drinks for all the girls. I didn't think anything of it. My father taught me better than that!" she scoffed. "I'm a cops daughter for crying out loud... I thought that my drink tasted weird, but I thought that someone had just spiked the punch. Some one spiked it all right but it wasn't with booze. I didn't have much time to think about it before things started getting hazy." She could feel the room starting to close in on her as the memories came flooding back. Her eyes filled with tears.

"I remember swaying on my feet and the people around us making a joke about me being a clumsy ballerina. Jon, he grabbed my arm. Said he was going to take me to lie down for a while." The tears were now pouring freely down her cheeks and she was clutching Abby as though she was her lifeline and in a sense she was. Abby was the only shining spot in this whole story.

"You don't have to tell me anymore," Jasper assured her, kneeling by the chair trying to comfort her. "I'm sorry that he did that to you. You should have been safe with me. I was your fiancé at the time damn it! You should have been safe under my roof!" Abby squirmed and began whimpering due to his outburst. He looked immediately apologetic.

"I'm sorry. He just makes me so angry. He couldn't just let me be happy could he? He was furious when you looked my way and not his. According to him I would always be second best, he tried to tell me that he wanted to test you out first but I never thought..." Bella seemed to have collected herself enough and Abby had started snoozing once more. Bella carefully got out of the chair and went to put Abby back in her crib. "Bella did that bastard know about the baby. Is that why you left so fast?" Jasper asked while her back was to him.

Bella turned around to look at him once more. She held her finger to her lips and motioned for him to leave the room ahead of her. They made their way back to the living room. "I confronted him about it." Bella answered as she sat down on the couch and crossed her legs." He sat down next to her. "I told him I was going to go to the cops, that I would tell them everything that happened. He told me that they would never believe me. That they wouldn't be able to find anything since it had already been a day and I had taken a shower. I believed him." She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I know now that it was a whole load of crap, but I was stupid back then. He told me that he had been drinking, that I wouldn't be able to prove it. That he had let it go to far. I knew he was feeding me lies. He told me that he would take care of the situation. I thought that meant that he would tell you what had happened. That day... he fired me in front of the whole company."

"Belly..." Jasper sighed, using the old nickname that he had used for her in New York. "I thought the worst of you when you just left. God, I hate myself now. How could I? You were everything sweet in my world. And he destroyed you."

"No. It wasn't your fault Jas. It was Jon's fault. No one else's! Not even mine. I've come to realize that finally. He made me stronger. I'm not that naïve little girl you met three years ago in New York, Jasper."

"No you're not," he said with a sad smile. "Do you remember..." He stopped speaking and Bella knew what he was asking.

She screwed her eyes shut trying to will the tears back. "I wish I could say that I wasn't aware during it, but I was. I was fully able to comprehend what was happening but I couldn't fight back. If it wasn't for the pain I would have thought I was watching it happen to someone else."

He grabbed her arm, "Don't. Don't think about it." He shook her back to the present.

"I'm sorry. I still have flashbacks. They don't come as often anymore thanks to..." This time she was the one to break off. She didn't know if she should be discussing her relationship with Edward with her ex-fiancé.

"Thanks to Edward?" Jasper finished for her.

She was shocked. "How do you know about Edward?"

Jasper smiled again. "I saw your performance at the showcase. I was there. Seeing you dance with him, kiss him... it was like I was living in a nightmare. When we got back to New York there was a picture on my dad's desk of the three of you. You, Edward, and a little blonde baby, she looked about a year old so I knew it couldn't be his. She had your eyes Bella, your nose, but there was a certain shape of her chin, the hair, the ears... I knew. I knew right away that she was also one of us. On the back it said _'I know what you did last summer' _cliché I know... someone was obviously not very creative." They both laughed a little at the message. I didn't see another alternative for why he would have it. I was blinded by this need to track you down, to face you with it. I'm sorry."

Bella didn't want him to think he had anything to apologize for, "No. You deserved an explanation Jasper, more than a note and me leaving the ring. But I think both you and I know that what we had wouldn't have lasted. We were going in two different directions in our lives. You weren't anymore ready to settle down then I was."

"But you didn't get a choice, did you?"

"I'm happy now Jas. Real, honest to goodness happy."

"You love him?"

Bella smiled a full smile for the first time since he walked in. "So much. Not that I didn't love you Jasper. I did. It's just with Edward, it's a different kind of love."

"Stronger." He supplied.

"Stronger." she nodded in agreement.

"Can I stay for a little while? I'd like to get to know my little sister a little better."

"Of course."

_***~*~*~*E/B*~*~*~***_

Edward was not pleased when he got to his apartment to see a ghost from his past waiting there for him. Standing against the wall in the hallway in all her blonde glory was his ex.

"What the hell, are you doing here Tanya?" He sighed as he unlocked the door.

"Well apparently waiting forever for you to come back to your apartment?" She smiled as she followed him into the apartment uninvited. Her heals clicking against the hardwood floor. He went to his bedroom and grabbed another one of the duffel bags and began throwing things in the bag to take over to Bella's. He glanced at Tanya and she was looking at a picture of Bella, Abby and Edward that Alice had taken at his family brunch. "God I was afraid you'd never come up for air."

"What do you want Tanya?" He asked exasperated by her presence.

"Can't an old friend drop in to say hello?" She asked with a flirty tone.

He shouldered his bag. "That _would_ be acceptable, except we aren't friends."

She grabbed his arm to stop him from walking away from her as he passed. "That's harsh Eddie. We were always such good friends. I'd like to get that back." She pulled him closer bringing her whole body into contact with his.

"Yeah..." he removed her hands from him. "That's not gonna happen."

"Well as a friend, I just wanted you to know that I was concerned about you. It can't be easy, what you're going through..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well you and Isabella, of course. I was going over to her apartment earlier to apologize for my behavior at the showcase and I saw a blonde man there. He was making a bit of a spectacle of himself shouting about how he came to see his daughter. He was very angry. Then Bella let him in the house. And I didn't hear anything else." She paused for a moment and then added, "Just so you know. I'll be here for you."

Edward grabbed her by her arm and lead her out, locked the door, and left to head to Bella's.

The front window blinds were open. Through them Edward could see Bella and some blonde man. He was holding Abby and he had said something that had obviously been funny because Bella threw her head back and laughed. They were obviously comfortable together. She reached out and smacked him in the arm. Edward felt sick. Edward could see the similarities between Abby and this man from here. He was her father. That thought in itself was sobering. Edward had always assumed that Bella and Abby's father weren't on good terms with each other. From what she had implied that happened she couldn't imagine that she would forgive him so easily. Maybe he had been wrong about what happened in New York. He saw the man reach for Bella and she went willingly into the one armed hug that he was offering. His whole world was spinning. Edward got back in his car and drove off.

A few hours later he was still going through every little interaction he had ever had with Bella. Edward had been trying to prove to Bella that he could be the missing father figure in Abby's life. She had seemed to welcome the bond between him and her daughter. After she had been forced to tell him that is. She had been trying to keep her past a secret, could it be that she was also keeping this man a secret from him as well. He absently looked at his phone. He had 6 text messages and three missed calls. Most of them were from Bella. One of the calls was from Alice. He checked the messages first.

_Where are you? XO ~B_

_Edward? Are you okay? XO ~B_

_I'm really starting to get worried now? XO~B_

_EDWARD! You should have been back hours ago. Please call me. XO~B_

_Edward you really need to text Bella she's seriously getting worried. ~A_

_If you don't answer me I'm calling the police. ~B_

He sighed and decided he should at least answer her. Why she was worried when she had that man with her he couldn't understand.

_Don't call. Staying here tonight. ~E_

It was only a few minutes before she responded.

_Oh okay... is everything okay? I love you. XO~B_

He stared at those last three words. Did she even mean them?

_Yeah... everything is fine ~ E_

He answered. He sighed before falling back on the bed. He was being pathetic. He grabbed his coat and headed out to the bar down the road, maybe if he drank enough he would forget the pain he was feeling right now. It wasn't the fact that Abbys father had come back that was bothering him. It was that Bella had seemed so willing to let him back in. He wasn't jealous, not really. He was hurt.

_***~*~*~*E/B*~*~*~***_

On the other side of town Bella stared down at her phone in confusion. She could sense that something was wrong with him but he hadn't asked for her help. He hadn't asked to talk. They had talked through all their other problems.

Just then Alice's voice interrupted her internal monologue, "So is he coming or not?"

Alice had come over after Bella had called to say that a blast from their past had showed up. Alice hadn't ever really known Jasper. In fact she had never even met him before. His relationship with Bella began after Alice had left New York. His reappearance had caused a lot of emotions in Bella. She had reached out to Edward first but when he didn't answer she turned to Alice.

"Apparently not," Bella answered still staring at the phone as if it held all of the answers she wanted.

Alice's voice immediately turned from light to concerned. "Everything okay?" She asked going to sit down by Bella. Alice rubbed Bella's arm in a comforting gesture.

Bella sighed and looked up at her friend. "He says it is," she answered gesturing with the phone.

"Then what's with the face?" Alice asked still not convinced.

Bella sighed and tried to put herself together. She tried to push it from her thoughts. "Nothing's wrong. You ready for some of my famous roast." Bella tried to smile but she knew it didn't look too genuine.

It was the first time that he hadn't said it back. Since they said I love you this was the first time that one of them hadn't said it back. No, something was definitely wrong. She just didn't know what. Could it be something that she had done?

_***~*~*~*E/B*~*~*~***_

Edward felt like there was an 18-ton truck sitting on his head. He hated hangovers. It was why Edward rarely drank, well that and he was never a master at holding his alcohol. Not like Emmett. The memories from last night were fuzzy at best. He remembered going out and seeing that man at Bella's. Now his heart hurt right along with his head. He remembered grabbing his coat and leaving the apartment. He had wondered down to the bar, down the street from his apartment. It had been busy. He remembered the first three shots that he took... then the four beers he chased them with. That was followed by more shots and more beers. Followed by another round of shots... and if he remembered some very bad impromptu karaoke.

He sat up slowly. The sheet fell and he realized that he was naked. That wasn't really weird as he did sleep naked more often now that he had moved from his parent's house. He grabbed his discarded underwear from the floor and shuffled to the bathroom to find some painkillers. He took two and drank some water from the faucet. He then splashed some on his face for good measure. He had run into one of his neighbors down at the bar. Bill was his name. He seemed like a nice enough guy. They had stumbled back to the apartment complex together. Edward hoped that Bill didn't remember all of what happened, that would make for some awkward elevator talk. Especially since Edward got the distinct impression he wasn't at the bar with Shannon, his wife.

As Edward made his way back to his bedroom he noticed a few things in quick succession. First there was someone in his bed that he didn't remember being there. Second it _wasn't_ who it should be. Third someone was coming into his apartment.

He recognized their voices first. For a moment he cursed himself for giving his sister the spare key. But then his whole world ended as Tanya Denali rolled over with a satisfied smirk just as Bella and his sister entered the door.

**End notes: **Runs and hides behind a desk** Please don't kill me! HEA! Remember HEA girl! Listen before you shoot. I didn't say that he slept with her in the biblical sense...only that he woke up with her. Remember that. Leave me a review! **Ducks back for safety****


	30. A Devious Mind

**A/N: *shuffles feet* soo I had every intention of posting this chapter last night, but I went to a friends house and we might have consumed one too many alcoholic beverages and then more friends came over and it turned into an impromptu party and yeah...sorry about that...**

**This takes place from Tanya's POV. It also goes back in time a little bit so it will reveal about what really is going on. The next chapter will start where chapter 26 left off back in either Edward's or Bella's POV I haven't decided yet.**

**I want to send a thank you to my beta famaggilo for also being there for me. You are so patient with me and willing to help me write through my writers block. Okay now on to the chapter.**

Tanya POV

The restaurant was posh, upscale and far too public for her tastes. She would have preferred to meet Jay in his office but he had claimed that he liked to keep this side of what he did out of his legitimate business. However angry she was at him for choosing this place to meet it was eclipsed by her anger at him for being late. She placed her order with the waiter informing him that she was done waiting for her companion. He brought her another glass of wine and let her know that her food would be out directly. Fifteen minutes later as she was munching on her salad the small, pudgy, unassuming looking Jay Jenks sat down across from her. "You're late," she said evenly.

Jay pulled at his collar nervously. "I'm sor...sorry ma'am." he stuttered out. "May I say that you are..."

She cut him off. She was done eating and she wasn't going to wait any longer. "You're wasting my precious time Jenks." She wiped the corners of her mouth daintily. "Do you have what I asked for?""

He startled at her tone and he fumbled for his briefcase. "Of course."

He produced a large manilla envelope that was weighty. She opened it up and pulled out a stack of photo's and documents. On top was a picture of Edward, Bella and some little baby. "What is this Jenks? She's kissing some kid? So what?" How was this helpful? It proved that she was kind to kids? Some dirt Jay!

"The...the child...is hers." he stuttered out. That got her attention.

Her jaw dropped. So little miss innocent wasn't so innocent. "Well, that changes things doesn't it."

"It seems that the lady in question left New York for a specific reason." He chuckled nervously taking a drink from his water.

"Yes it does." She was still amazed. Little Miss Perfect had a love child. "Do you know who it belongs to?" She raised an eye at Jenks.

"It wasn't listed on the birth certificate."

"That wasn't what I asked you Jenks. I asked if you knew who the bastard's father was."

He took out a piece of paper and wrote on it as he explained,"I was able to contact a few people and from reports it seems that this isn't the firsts time that this has happened."

She smiled as she read it. It was one that she recognized. "Really? Does he have any involvement with her now?"

"No." Jenks answered simply.

"Does he know?"

This time he nodded. "I believe so. Looking into his accounts it shows that he made a significant payment to Ms. Swan in the past."

"Hush money?"

"It appears so."

Tanya couldn't resist "Well lets see how he reacts when he realizes his dirty little secret isn't so secret any more."

"Already done, Miss."

"Jenks!" She said in surprise. "Congratulations, my trust in your limited intelligence has been momentarily restored."

He didn't seem to notice or care about the insult veiled as a complement. "Thank you Ma'am.

Tanya dressed with precision. She picked out one of her most revealing dress in a vibrant shade of red. She loved the irony of wearing that color. A lady in red setting out to seduce a man. Well more than one most likely. Her sources had confirmed that Mr Whitlock was on a plane that would land shortly. She had to get over to Bella's house to enact the first part of her plan.

_***~*~*~*~*~*E/B*~*~*~*~*~***_

She parked her car just down the street watching as Edward kissed her goodbye at the door and headed to his car. A few moments later another car pulled up. A tall, lanky blonde man exited. He paced by his car muttering to himself for a few minutes before charging up to the door and knocking. She stayed just long enough to hear him shout at her to let him see his daughter. She made her way immediately to Edward's house expecting him to already be there.

He must have had to make a stop because when she reached his sixth floor apartment there was no answer on the door. If she missed him, she expected he wouldn't be staying to long. Edward was a runner. He didn't like confrontation no matter how tough he came off. He wouldn't play the jealous boyfriend card. No he would be hurt...and vulnerable and ripe for the picking.

When he emerged from the elevator he was smiling, so Tanya knew that he couldn't have already gone back to Bella's house. When he saw her leaning up against the wall next to his apartment his smile dropped.

"What the hell, are you doing here Tanya?" He sighed as he unlocked the door.

"Well apparently waiting forever for you to come back to your apartment?" She smiled as she followed him into the apartment uninvited. He had redecorated since the last time she had been there. It still felt very much like a masculine space, but she knew that he had little to do with that. The pushover that he was his bitch of a sister and mother probably did all the decorating and had rejoiced at having the chance to after I left. They didn't appreciate my good taste.

He left the room and left her alone in the living room. She glanced over at the wall near the door. He was so predictable. She could see him in the bedroom, throwing things into a duffel bag on his bed. While he was distracted she quickly took the spare key from the hanger and slipped it into the pocket of her white cashmere coat. A smile crept over her face but she felt it turning sinister as a picture caught her eye. It was the same picture that Jenks had in the file. It was Edward with that bitch and her brat. "God, I was afraid you'd never come up for air."

"What do you want Tanya?" He asked. His tone showed his displeasure for her presence but she tried not to let that bother her.

"Can't an old friend drop in to say hello?" She asked with a flirty tone. Throwing him a suductive smile for good measure

He shouldered his bag. "That _would_ be acceptable, except we aren't friends."

He made to walk past her but she reached out and grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked down at her hand. She pouted at him. "That's harsh Eddie. We were always such good friends. I'd like to get that back." She pulled him closer bringing her whole body into contact with his.

"Yeah..." he removed her hands from him. "That's not gonna happen."

She didn't let his actions deter her. She continued on as if nothing had changed. "Well as a friend, I just wanted you to know that I was concerned about you. It can't be easy, what you're going through..."

That seemed to have gotten his attention, "What are you talking about?"

She tried her best to give off an innocent look. "Well you and Isabella, of course. I was going over to her apartment earlier to apologize for my behavior at the showcase and I saw a blonde man there. He was making a bit of a spectacle of himself shouting about how he came to see his daughter. He was very angry. Then Bella let him in the house. And I didn't hear anything else." She paused for a moment and then added, "Just so you know. I'll be here for you."

Edward grabbed her by her arm and lead her out, locked the door, and left. He seemed distracted. No doubt he was going over what she had told him about his little whore. Tanya couldn't help smile. Everything was going as planned. She took the keys she had swiped from the apartment and held them in her hands with a triumphant giggle. Yes. Everything was going just like she wanted.

_***~*~*~*~*~*E/B*~*~*~*~*~***_

Several hours later she was sitting across the bar from him. Letting some guy and his friend buy her drinks and steal touches when the other wasn't there. Edward was already drunk. He was slurring about how life wasn't fair and love was just a game women play.

Oh Edward if only you knew.

About an hour later he left with some guy. I watched as the pair of them stumbled out of the bar and passed the window toward Edward's apartment building. Guys one and two were getting progressively more handsy as they each drank more. She decided it was time to commence stage two of her plan. She whispered an offer that neither of them would refuse at this point and they snuck into the back room of the bar, which the owner took a good deal of money to ensure that they wouldn't be disturbed. Stupid men.

She gathered up the evidence of their hour long sexipade and made her way out the door and down to Edward's apartment. He would be asleep by now. As luck would have it a pizza delivery guy pulled up right as she was approaching the door. He was nice enough to hold the door open for her and she made her way up to Edward's apartment. Well that solved the problem of getting buzzed into the building this late. Outside of his door she slipped out of her shoes and quietly let herself in with her stolen key. Edward had left a trail of his clothes to the bedroom.

That was good. It would lend validation to her story. She dropped her own clothes as she walked closer to the bed. She smiled as she slipped under the blankets herself. Yes Edward. This is a game. And I'm the one that's winning.

**End notes: okay so there it is...what do you think will be the reaction of Bella in the next chapter? How will Edward explain? What will Tanya claim happened? Find out next monday :-) Leave me some love in a review!**


	31. A Rough Landing

**A/N: Oh my god call the press there's actually been an update to this story! I know there is much rejoicing in the streets! I have a very long list of reason's why this story hasn't updated in a long time but you more than likely don't care so I won't even bother. If you want to know send me a PM and we can have a nice little chat about it I promise. But anyway the more important news is that this story is back in action at least at the moment. After finishing this chapter I think there might be only one or two more chapters till the end but we'll have to see what Edward and Bella have to say about that now won't we.**

**Since it's been forever and a day and a half here's a reminder of where we left off.**

_From chapter 26_

_As Edward made his way back to his bedroom he noticed a few things in quick succession. First there was someone in his bed that he didn't remember being there. Second it wasn't who it should be. Third someone was coming into his apartment. _

_He recognized their voices first. For a moment he cursed himself for giving his sister the spare key. But then his whole world ended as Tanya Denali rolled over with a satisfied smirk just as Bella and his sister entered the door. _

**I'm uploading this without any beta or pre-reader insight since I now have none. So I apologize for any grave mistakes. Now on to the chapter...**

Chapter 28 – A Rough Landing

EPOV

It was like he had gone deaf. He could barely register that his sister was talking but he was stuck in Bella's eyes. He watched as both his sister and his girlfriend took in what was before them. From the door you could clearly see the bed through the open door and the naked woman that was in it. It wasn't until Bella closed her eyes and looked away did he seem to snap out of it.

"What the FUCK!" Alice screamed about two octaves higher than Edward's pained brain could really handle, but he knew he had more pressing matters to attend to first.

"Bella, I can explain." He took a step toward them.

"It had better be fucking good." Alice spoke up instead of the voice he was most wanting to hear.

"It was." Tanya's voice piped up from behind him on the bed.

"Bitch I will cut you." Alice started charging forward but Bella caught a hold of her arm to stop her.

A wicked grin spread across Tanya's face having gotten a reaction out of Edward's sister. "Why don't you get rid of them so we can get back to what we were doing Edward."

"We weren't doing anything Tanya!" Edward snapped glancing briefly back at her.

"The used condoms in the trash cans say otherwise," Tanya smirked.

Alice gasped. "I can't believe you Edward."

It didn't escape Edward's notice that Bella hadn't said a word yet. She just stood there her expression unreadable. "Bella, please," he begged.

"Don't you 'Bella please' her." Alice responded hotly. "She was worried sick about you last night! She needed you! And where the fuck were you? Dicking around on her? I swear Edward I never thought you would stoop that low!"

He knew that she had texted him, but to hear that she had needed him and he just chose to ignore her was like a well deserved dagger to the heart. He looked her over. She had winced slightly when Alice mentioned that she had needed him. It had been the closest to emotion that he had seen from her since she walked in the door. She had bags under her eyes, she hadn't slept well last night... "I'm sorry..."

"Sorry! You're sorry! You will be that's for sure!" she walked strait toward him and if Bella hadn't reached out and stopped her Edward was sure that his sister would have just hauled back and hit him. "I'm not above letting mom know all about what you've done...or who apparently."

Edward tried to explain again."It's not..."

"It's not what? It's not that bad? I disagree. In fact, I'm sure that antibiotics will be involved." Alice shot a glare at Tanya.

"Alice." It was only one word. The only one she had said since they stepped in the door, but they seemed to catch the woman in questions attention. They shared a look and then Alice nodded once and Bella let go of her arm and started making her way toward the bedroom. She stopped just inside the door at the small table I had there. On top of it sat a little black purse that I hadn't noticed. She stared at it and then back at the wall by the door.

"Bella I swear that..." Edward tried to explain but was cut off by her firm voice.

"Don't." Was all she said.

He tried again. "Baby please," he didn't care that he was now begging he would get down on his knees if he had to. He had reached her by this time. His hand touched her arm and the look she sent him could have melted a glacier. He dropped his hand immediately though it tore at his heart that she didn't want him touching her.

Bella turned to the little table and quickly opened and dumped the contents of the little purse onto the surface. "Hey that's mine!" Tanya's indignant reply came.

Bella's eyebrow quirked up as she spotted something in the pile. "But these aren't," she said as she pulled out a familiar object.

"Are those my keys?" I asked in surprise. "did you steal my keys?"

Bella's gaze was now focused on the blonde, "Not so vocal now are you?"

"I was plenty vocal last night, right Eddie?" Bella closed her eyes and turned her head to the side slightly her jaw flexed harshly. "What's the matter Bella? Can't handle the truth that you weren't enough to hold his attention?"

"No. That's not true! Bella that's not true." Edward was frantic now. He would have remembered having sex with her. He would have. He was sure of it. And he never would have let it happen anyway, even drunk he would never go back to Tanya.

_Please Baby, believe me. I would never do that to you._

As if she heard is inner pleas her eyes snapped back toward the woman in his bed. She marched the rest of the way to the bed. Her voice was low and dangerous."I'll give you two minutes to leave here with what's left of your dignity. Any longer and you won't even be able to leave with that."

Tanya must have seen something in her eyes because she quickly scrambled up and gathered her things and ran out. Alice who must have been waiting in the kitchen stormed into the room after Tanya had left. "You're just gonna let the bitch go!" she shouted at her best friend. "Bella she should be arrested!"

Bella sighed and closed her eyes her shoulders falling. All the bravado from just a few minutes ago seemed to fly out of her the minute that Tanya flew out of the door. She seemed to be folding in on herself and seeing her like that, being the reason for it hit him in the gut."Allie it would just be her word against ours," she said tiredly

Alice crossed her arms petulantly. "Well I still would have hit her." Her gaze switched in my direction. "Jury's still out on weather I'm going hit you."

Bella opened her eyes and looked over at her friend, "Alice can you give us a few minutes?"

Alice's expression softened as she looked over in Bella's direction, "Are you sure Bella?"

Bella nodded and said a soft "Yeah."

Alice and her seemed to be having another silent conversation for a few minutes, finally Alice nodded and said, "okay," closing the door after her.

We stood there in silence for a few minutes finally Edward couldn't stand it. "Baby..." He tried when she flinched at the term he tried again. "Bella..."

She shook her head at him and seemed to finally find her voice. "No, I'm gonna talk first." She took another deep breath. "Last night I had probably one of the most emotional days of my life, second after the birth of my child, and when I wanted to lean on someone I turned to you first, because that's what people in a relationship do, and you shut me out. After everything you told me, after everything we shared you just completely shut down. Why?"

Edward swallowed hard and sat down on the bed. "When I got back to my apartment she was here."

"Who, Tanya?"

"Yeah. She was saying things about how you were leaving me for the father of your child. I didn't believe her but when I went back to your house I saw you through the window with that other guy..."

Bella's brow crinkled in confusion, "What other guy?" She thought about it for a minute and then her eyes turned back to Edward. "Jasper? You were there when he was there?"

Edward nodded and looked down at the floor. "I just saw you with him and he was holding Abby. A blind man could see the resemblance."

"That bitch!" Her shout made him look back up. Bella was shaking her head and looking at the ceiling. "So it was her that sent it Why am I not surprised?" She didn't seem to be talking to him so Edward didn't say anything. He glanced back down at his lap. He heard her sigh. "Edward, Jasper isn't Abby's father."

He looked quickly back up to Bella, "But you two seemed..."

She didn't let him finish. She sat next to him on the bed. "I'm not going to lie to you and say that we don't have a past because we do. But he's the _past_, Edward. You're my future. I thought you knew that."

She had said you're...not you were that was good right? Edward didn't want to hope yet. "but he looks..."

"Jasper is Jon's son. That's why he looks like Abby. They do share DNA, just not the way you thought."

Edward felt like he was being punched in the gut. He had completely misjudged the situation. Not only that he had left Bella alone to confront her past. "Oh god, Bella. I...I didn't know."

She shot off the bed and began pacing again. "No you didn't. You also didn't give me a chance to explain. Which is something you need to do now. How did she end up with your keys? Did you give them to her?"

"What! No."

"Okay so she stole them. Alice was right she is nuts. But that still doesn't explain how that bitch end up in here _naked_ with you?" Her arms crossed in front of her.

Edward side and ran a hand through his hair. "I honestly have no clue. After I saw you I just lost my shit. I felt like my whole world was ripped out from under my feet. I went to the bar down the street. I drunk, quite a lot actually."

Bella scoffed, "I know. Shannon, Bills wife called." So she had been testing him. Seeing if he would tell her what she knew was the truth. The thought that she felt she had to made him sick. "He was worried about you, said you could barely stand. She got my number at that cook out we went to at the school and she phoned me this morning. Bill went out of the way to make me know that he left you there alone. Not that it was for lack of trying of the girls in the bar."

Edward jumped up and held onto the tops of her arms. "Bella I swear that nothing happened between Tanya and I last night."

Bella nodded, "I know. If you were that bad off when Bill dropped you off here then nothing could have happened." He relaxed slightly but only until Bella pulled back out of his grasp. "But that doesn't change the fact that the first reaction you had was to run off and get yourself completely smashed. I mean drunk to the point where Tanya could break into your apartment, strip completely naked and lie down with you and you have no clue that it happened. I _know_ that you didn't sleep with her. I know that, but it doesn't make me feel much better about the whole situation."

"Bella..."

She took a shaky breath. "You knew coming into this that I don't only have me to think about. I have Abby, she will always come first and I _can't,_" her voice broke on the last word. Tears filled her eyes and spilled over on her beautiful cheeks.

Edward couldn't breath. This couldn't be happening. She was breaking up with him. "Bella, Please. Don't," he pleaded.

The tears were streaming now. "I can't always be looking over my shoulder and hoping that something I do doesn't set you off again. I can't let myself, I can't let _Abby_ begin to rely on you only for you to run off again."

He stood there gasping for breath. He needed her to know that it wasn't a habit of his. That he didn't go out and try to drink away all his problems. "No! I made a mistake Bella. A huge one. I know that. I should have sucked it up and went up to that door. I should have just talked to you. But I love you. I love you and that little girl so much. Please. Please don't leave me."

He tried to reach for her again but she shook her head and stepped away once more. Bella was sobbing almost uncontrollably now. "You weren't ready. We can't have a normal relationship. I can't be what you _want_."

This time he succeeded in grabbing her shaking shoulders. "You are _everything_ that I want. Everything!" He shook her shoulders lightly to try to get her to look at him. To see the truth in his eyes. "When I think of my future you know what I see?" he asked. She still wouldn't look at him but he continued anyway. "I see a little blonde girl with crazy curls and her mother's eyes who calls _me_ daddy. I see her little red headed brother running around the house interrupting her Ballet lesson and her screaming for her mother through the house." He reached up to cup her face with both of his hands. "I see slamming doors, and cub scout meetings, and sleepless nights. But most importantly I see _you_, Bella." He wiped her falling tears off with his thumb. "I see you right there with me. Only you. My life means _nothing_ if I don't have you in it."

She let out a single sob but he cut off any more because in the next moment he was kissing her. He kissed her with everything he had. All his hopes for the future, all his love for her in the present, and all of their combined pain from the past. All he could do was hope that it was enough. Hope that she would give him the chance. He felt her hand slowly creep into his hair as she kissed him back.

Their kiss grew, but he was uncertain of how far he should go. His mind knew that they had just been through a major hurdle in their relationship. One that he wasn't sure if they had completely cleared. But his body was another matter.

The decision was taken from him though when Bella ran her hand down his bare chest and grabbed a hold of his still hardening member. It was such a shock that he tore his mouth from hers with a gasp. "Bella. Bella you don't have to."

"I want to." Her voice was nearly as breathless as his was.

"Bella," he tried to concentrate as she stroked him from base to tip. "Oh god. We can't, not before..." She rubbed her hand over the tip like he had shown her not too long ago. He took a deep breath. "You have to tell me..."

Bella stood up on her tip toes and she kissed him behind the ear. "You said you love me more than anything. Prove it," she whispered the last right into his ear.

He grabbed her hand and removed it from his boxers. He was throbbing painfully but he knew he had to do this. "Then you need to stop."

Bella looked at him in confusion."Why?"

He brought her palm to his lips and kissed it, "Because you are too important."

"But you want it. I know you do."

He smiled at her but in his current state it might have come across as more of a grimace. "I will _always_ want you, my love. Till the day I die, I will want you. But no matter how much I want you, I _respect_ you too much to continue this now." Bella looked into his eyes for a very long time it seemed. Finally she nodded and Edward asked the question that had been on his mind since she walked in that door. "Are we okay?"

She smiled and intertwined their fingers. "Promise me you'll talk to me from now on."

He brought their clasped hands up and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. He didn't break eye contact with her as he promised, "Always."

Bella sighed, "I love you Edward."

This time his smile was much less pained. He pulled her close to him in an embrace. He kissed the top of her head and spoke into her hair. "I love you so much, Bella. So much."

Their sweet moment was broken by a knocking on the bedroom door. "If you two are gonna get it on then let me know, cause there are some things that a sister just does not need to hear!" Edward couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up and neither it seemed could Bella.

**End notes: Okay so there it is. I know I might be a little bit of a cock block for the ending but I honestly didn't think it'd be really beneficial for their relationship if they jumped into bed together right after all of that went down. **


	32. From this Pointe On

**AN: Okay well this has been a long time coming hasn't it? I've been sitting on this chapter for a while now because I wasn't exactly sure if I was going to post it yet or not but here I am posting it anyway. This is it. The end of the story...at least for now. I have a lot of people to thank but I'll do that at the end. **

**One last thing the Dance in this chapter is the final dance in Center Stage 2 if you want a visual there should be tons of clips around online.**

She took a few calming breaths as she stood in the hall outside of the auditorium. After all these years she still was nervous before performing. But this was at a whole new level. This was the biggest performance she'd done yet. This dance would decide her whole future. It wasn't that she didn't have any other options if this didn't turn out the way she wanted. Rejection was part of this business. But she wanted this she wanted it so badly.

She felt unbelievable pressure to get everything perfect. These halls had seen her at her best and worst. She had put in years of time in these practice rooms, on this very stage; however that didn't mean the committee was going to go easy on her. Quite the contrary. In fact, they would more than likely judge her even more harshly than all the others they were seeing today.

It had taken her over a month to find the right song. Night after night her and her best friend listened to CD after CD but didn't find anything. Then it happened when she least expected it. They had been taking a break from the endless music search when she had heard it on a TV show. It was one of those insipid musical shows geared toward starry eyed teenagers. Though she couldn't stand the show on principle the song itself was perfect. "You've gotta have roots before branches." The song said.

It was her roots that brought her here in the first place. Her mother and father were probably the most supportive people on the face of this earth, really her whole family was. But as supportive as they all were it wasn't always easy being their daughter. She felt as if she was constantly living in everyone's shadow. But no more. As her inspiration said. It was time to have the faith to take chances and hopefully find her place in this world.

When she heard the door open her eyes snapped in that direction. A woman that she should probably know smiled sweetly at her. "Abigail Cullen?" she asked.

"Yes?" her shaky voice making it come out as a question.

"You're up, dear."

It was now or never. Time to leave it all on out on that floor.

*~*~*~THE END~*~*~*~*~*

*~*~*~TOTALLY KIDDING~*~*~*~*

EPOV

Bella was fidgeting in her seat. It was adorable how nervous she was. Edward reached over and grabbed her hand. "She will do wonderfully, my love."

Bella sighed and slumped slightly in her seat. "I know she will."

He couldn't help but chuckle, "Then why are you so nervous."

"Because Edward, she's my baby." She sniffed slightly. "Our baby is growing up."

So that was the root of this. He made soothing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it sweetly. So much had changed in the last fifteen years. His eye caught the ring that rested on her finger. So much had changed indeed.

It wasn't long after the whole Jasper argument that Edward and Bella officially moved in together. It wasn't something that they even realized was happening at the time. At first it was just a drawer and some clothes in her closet. Then it was a whole dresser. It slowly spread to the living room, pictures of the Cullen family mixed with those of the Swans. It wasn't until Edward realized he hadn't been to his apartment since the great Tanya scare did they realize what was happening.

One night after Abby was in bed and he was cuddling with Bella on the couch he sighed and said, "I should probably stay at my place tonight."

She sat up from her position in his lap. She looked up at him with concern but answered slowly. "Oh, okay..."

He sighed as he entered his apartment. He tossed his keys on the table by the door not even bothering with the hook. The air was stuffy and there was quite a layer of dust most of the surfaces but it wasn't nearly as bad as he expected. He walked over and opened a window to let in some fresh air. Then he heard keys in the door. He popped up from his place on the couch.

"Emmett?" he asked in surprise when his brother came in the door.

"What are you doing here?" Emmett asked in surprise.

Edward scoffed, "I live here. What's your excuse?"

Emmett at least had the decency to look ashamed. "Um...I...Okay so maybe I've been coming here when Rosie gets mad at me."

"And how often is that?"

"A lot more often now..." Emmett mostly mumbled.

"What?" Edward asked confused as to what Emmett could mean.

Emmett sighed and joined his brother on the couch. "Listen if I tell you something can you lock it in the vault? I'm serious. You can't breathe a word to mom and dad...not yet."

"Of course Em."

"Rosie is pretty sure she's pregnant."

"Are you kidding? That's great Em! Congratulations." Edward clapped his brother on the back.

"Thanks man." Emmett said rubbing the back of his neck. As he got up from his place and made his way to the kitchen. "It's really messing with Rosie's temper though. So when she kicks me out I kinda sneak over here. I usually only stay a few hours. She's always over it by the time I'm back. I've stocked the fridge with beer. So can I stay?"

"Yeah. Pass me a beer would you?"

"Sure." Emmett said and placed a cold can in Edward's hand. "Why are you here? Bella get tired of you already?" He said sitting down on the couch.

"No." Edward answered shortly and opened his beer and took a drink. He didn't explain anymore and thankfully Emmett didn't push any further. Honestly he didn't know why he was there. It wasn't as if he felt unwelcome at Bella's house. It wasn't that he felt he needed his space or anything like that. His brother left a few hours later and he was once again alone with his thoughts. He only stayed long enough to shut the window and grab his keys.

He unlocked to door as quietly as he could. A accident on the bridge had caused his commute to be hours longer than intended. Bella was sleeping in one of his old t-shirts he didn't remember bringing over and she was clutching his pillow like it was a life line. He stripped quietly into his underwear and crawled under the covers.

"You're here..."

"Shhh...go back to sleep baby."

"I couldn't sleep without you."

"Me either. When I'm in your arms I don't want to ever leave."

"So don't."

And he hadn't. Not really. He ended up leasing out his apartment to Jasper of all people. Who had decided against going back to New York and his father. He said it was so that he could spend some time with his new little sister, but Edward wondered if his little sister didn't have something to do with it as well. When Jasper met Alice it was attraction at first sight. Alice had heard stories about Jasper from Bella so she was very cautious at first, but Alice didn't last long against all of Jasper's charm. They were practically inseparable and with his credentials Esme and Carlisle encouraged him into teaching at the school.

Everything was coming together for everyone, but there was one thing missing. Edward wanted to make it official. Almost as soon as he met Bella he had wanted to put a ring on her finger. After some planning and some stealthy ring shopping, Edward had what he thought was the best proposal for them. The Showcase. It couldn't have been better. Now, she just had to say yes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*ExB*~*~*~*~*~*

_The day of the showcase_

There was a packed house. People had really turned out to what the now three new teachers from New York had added to the curriculum. The fact that both Jasper and Bella had a certain level of celebrity only added to the normal hype of the event. According to Dance Magazine, Volterra had managed to "steal" three of the ABC's best dancers. They were excited to see the first glimpse of Bella's first choreographed ballet.

Edward had never been more nervous in his whole life. He had let it slip to Rose and Alice what he was planning and they were whole half heartedly on board for this. But still he worried that it would be too public for her. She liked to keep her private life private and with all of the press there it would be anything but. It was too late to turn back now, though. The ring was hidden discreetly on the stage and was ready to slide on her finger.

He jumped when he felt Bella's soft hand on his back. She chuckled, "Why are you so nervous? It's not like your debuting two completely original works."

He sighed. He knew that on some level she was actually nervous, but he also knew that she was joking. He couldn't tell her the real reason that he was a nervous wreck so he went with a partial truth. "I haven't danced ballet in public since school."

"We've rehearsed this a hundred times, Edward. You'll be perfect." Edward just shrugged and looked down not wanting to tell any more half truths. Suddenly her hands were on his face. "Hey, do you trust me?"

He didn't hesitate to answer her, "Of course."

"Do you love me?"

"With all my my heart."

"Then Edward Cullen will you please be my prince charming?"

He knew she was trying to make the mood lighter. That she was trying to make joke, but instead of laughing he touched her face lightly. "As long as you'll be my princess?"

"I always will." she answered sweetly.

I hope so. He thought

The part that they were showing tonight was actually the conclusion of the ballet. It was the part where the prince reveals his true love's identity. The stepsisters are still trying to vie for the princes attention and trying to distract him. It starts with the strumming opening lines of the song 24 by Jem. Bella and Edward are standing next to each other both of them are wearing masks. However Edward takes his off first with a flourish and then turns to take off Bella's. He pulls her close to nearly place a kiss on her lips before they are torn apart by Alice and Rose who are playing the stepsisters.

The pairs break off into separate sides of the stage. Each dancing with a different sister. Edward tosses Rosalie up and easily catches her, her legs going around his waist. While Bella was spinning on pointe while being chased away by Alice. Rosalie goes into an arabesque close to Edward's face trying to draw his attention from Alice who has led Bella behind the farthest glass wall.

Bella breaks away from Alice and does a full no hands cartwheel bringing her almost directly behind Rosalie and Edward. Rosalie has slipped behind Edward and covered his mouth as if stopping a protest. Alice has caught up with Bella and literally grabs her around the waist and takes her to the other side of the stage. They circle each other on their side of the stage until she is able to out spin Alice and shoves her off into the wings gently.

Rosalie is still doing her best to distract Edward with her feminine wiles but he is also able to get away from her by spinning her off into the wings. He takes a leap and a spin over to where Bella was but at the same time she moves over to his side of the stage but behind a wall. This leads to a point of the dance where they are each trying to catch up to one another but are always in the wrong place until finally they are on opposite sides of the same glass wall. The mirror each others movements. Until they are finally in the open space in between the walls in almost the same position that they started in. The only difference was that they were further apart and each facing a different direction.

Edward slowly crosses in front of her and extends his hand and she turns slowly as well a small smile on her face. She almost takes his hand but at the last minute she pirouettes and he comes up behind her to grab her waist. She dips down into a deep arabesque with Edward's support. When she comes back up she reaches behind her and places one hand on the side of his head while the other goes to rest on the hand he has on her waist.

He move down into a sensual crouch which helps to hide the fact they are preparing the grip for their next lift. Edward easily lifts Bella as she fans her legs into a kick. She pulls away as her feet touch the ground, but quickly turns back to Edward as he picks her up. Her legs wrap around his waist and she throws her hands up before bringing them back to run through his hair and cup his face.

He leans her down for dip and she holds onto his shoulders for extra support as he whips her quickly up. When she's back upright she pushes away from him and spins away, but he doesn't let her get far before he is behind her and he turns her the other direction. They are in perfect sync as they leap and spin across the stage to the back corner.

They make their way back toward center stage again, with assisted lifts. When they hit center stage Edward spins Bella once more, her hands above her head. When she stops she brings one arm to the back of his head and one of his arms is holding her firmly across the waist. She can't help the smile that breaks across her face as she drops off point ans slides deliciously down his chest. Edward is frozen in his spot for a moment. As she goes to stand next to him again. She reaches out and grabs the back of his neck again, gaining his attention once more.

She's walking slowly backward on pointe and he is following as if in a daze. A dip to the left. Then another one to the right. And then she spins away and he follows her. She runs toward him and he picks her up above his head as she strikes her in air pose. He does a slow 180 turn so that he is facing the audience before he lightly pushed her body in the air and then catches her in his arms again. She couldn't help it. He was right there all sweaty and adorable and it was part of the play. She wasn't going to kiss him but at that moment she just couldn't resist. She felt him smile against her lips and he lightly pushed against her hip and he dipped her the final time and the music came to an end.

He pulled her back on her feet and had to resist kissing her smiling face once more. The audience was already clapping. When he sank down to one knee the only thing that gave it away as not something in the play was Bella's reaction and that of her friends on stage.

"Edward?" her eyes were wide and darted nervously from his to the audience and then back.

"Bella Swan," he said clearly making it very clear that this wasn't part of the ballet they had just danced. After a quick noise of shock a silence fell over the audience as they strained to hear Edward's voice in the big auditorium. "When I met you I was merely going through the motions. Living life everyday as a shell of the man that I could have been. Then you came dancing into my life with this fire that re-lit the passion in me. I had to know you, I had to have you as a part of my life and when I found you, when my sister," he looked over at Alice who had tears in her eyes, "brought you to lunch that day I knew that I didn't want to let you go. I want forever with you, Bella Swan." He slowly reached over and the conductor handed him the small box. He opened it and the ring caught the sage light and glinted. "Will you marry me?"

Bella had tears streaming down her cheeks and was nodding her head quickly. Just when he thought he wouldn't ever get a verbal answer she blurted out, "Yes. Yes. God yes!" And with that the whole place erupted and they were surrounded by the students who had been watching in the wings. Over all the heads of their students their eyes met and in them held all the hope of their future.

"Daddy, when is it gonna be Abby's turn?" the voice next to him whispered bringing him back to the present. There had been many changes indeed.

Bella hadn't wanted a grand affair but Alice Cullen couldn't be stopped. The guest list featured most of Seattle much to Bella's disappointment, but since she arrived Bella Swan and left Bella Cullen she was pacified. At least that's what she told Edward. The day after the wedding Edward and Bella were at the courthouse so that Edward could start the process of legally adopting Abby. I wasn't nearly as complicated as they thought it would be. Since Bella had never put John's name on the birth certificate all it took was a few hours and a few signatures.

Their honeymoon had been short because neither Edward or Bella wanted to be away from Abby for long. They rented out a cabin for a week and spent all of it inside celebrating. Then it was back to the real world. The auditions for the coming year were getting close and each department was given a huge stack of applications to go through. Each application included paperwork, an essay, and a video. Bella and Edward each had a stack of more than 200 each. Every night after they would put Abby to bed they would curl up on the couch and go through at least 20 each night. Then they'd send on their short list to the committee.

A short six months later Bella was feeling a bit under the weather. It didn't worry her at the beginning but after another month of nausea and headaches. Edward finally managed to break her down and get her to the doctor's office. Edward wouldn't let her go alone, but after she had explained her symptoms the nurse asked him to step out of the room. A few minutes later he was called back in and Bella It was during the cursory blood work that they discovered the reason for it all. Five months later Edward, Bella, Abby and the rest of the Cullen-Swan clan welcomed little Charles Michel Cullen into the world.

Between Emmett and Rosalie's little girl, Laura, little Charlie and the baby bundle that Alice was expecting things had never been better for the Cullens that was until Esme and Carlsile received crippling news. Carlisle was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks into the new year. The news halted everything, but the Cullens were nothing if not supportive. Esme and Carlisle both decided to step down to focus on Carlisle's treatment. So began the task of trying to find someone to fill their shoes, even just temporarily. They contacted everyone that they could think of but no one ever really clicked. That was until the committee came to a shocking, nearly unanimous decision. Edward and Bella's replacements were still around from when they had both taken off for Charlie's birth. And so it was determined that they would take the reigns.

It was stressful and challenging learning all of the ins and outs of running a school while raising a toddler and a newborn but both the family and the school emerged better off in the end. Bella handled most of the day to day running of things, while Edward split his time between teaching and administrative work. Volterra flourished under their guidance. And when Carlisle was declared cancer free they decided to not mess with a winning team. He decided to permanently step down. "Life is too short." he said. His scare had taught him that and Esme and he spent his retirement spoiling their six grandchildren. Including Rosalie and Emmett's little girl and Alice and Jasper's boy and the youngest of Bella's and Edward's children, a set of beautiful twin girls. Who were both Daddy's and Poppy's little girls.

Fatherhood was a wonder that Edward had never expected. He loved each of his children, probably to a fault. He spoiled each of the kids which annoyed Bella to no end but he didn't always get to be the good guy. She had made that perfectly clear. Charlie was a good kid, if not a little too much like his Uncle Emmett. He was a daredevil and Bella would constantly tell him each of her gray hairs were from him. The twins Marie and Elizabeth were still too young to cause much grief. Elizabeth wanted to be exactly like her big sister Abby when she grew up and she followed her everywhere, much to Abby's dismay most times. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows though. The girls were going through their terrible twos and were constantly on the warpath. Not to mention the fact that Abby was getting into those awful teenage years. When Abby first told him she hated him he felt his world crumble beneath him, it had been one of the few times that he had actually cried. Abby had heard him and to this day that is the only time that she had ever said that to him. She loved her daddy just too much to put him through that again thank goodness.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by his oldest daughter's voice, "Abigail Cullen." He could hear the slight tremble in her voice as she introduced herself. She was so much like her mother. She would be nervous now. She would fret and worry until the last minute. Then it would be like something would come over her. She would find her center and then let it all go.

"I'll be dancing a contemporary piece for you today to the song roots before branches." She walked to her mark and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Edward sat up and rested his arms on his legs. "Show them, Princess," he whispered. "Show them how hard you've worked." She looked up and her eyes opened as the song began. " Leave it all out there on the Floor..."

**End Notes: Okay here's where I get all sappy. This really is the end of an era for me. I learned a lot while I was writing this story, both about myself and writing in general. Since I started Leave it I've been to two separate colleges, moved three times, and almost quit writing about five. A lot has changed and I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed and just generally stuck with me through everything that this story went through. You all for the most part have been widely supportive and even those of you who were critical of what i put out there i want to say thank you. I have a thicker skin because of you. **

**This story really was a rediscovering of a part of me that I thought was lost. I had always wanted to be a dancer but due to a severe injury when I was younger it just wasn't an option for me. It was hard after, for me to watch other's dancing without some form of jealousy that they could do the things that I had always wanted to do. Now I have that part of me back. So thank you for joining me and helping me out along the way. **

**I have a long list of beta's that have come and gone since I started and you've all left the fandom since but know that you all helped me so much and I miss your friendship more than anything. Thanks to my dear twitter friend Ida (JajjoJu) who was a dance inspiration to me many a time. We met on twitter when I was talking about dance and I'm honored to call her a real friend. Even though you aren't reading this story I just wanted to let you know that...maybe eventually you will. I know I'm forgetting people so I'm sorry about that but I'm not leaving you out on purpose.**

**So, what's next for me? Well I'm not really sure. I've got some ideas flowing but I don't know if I'm going to go fanfiction or branch out into original stuff...as scary as that might be. I do have a couple ideas for outtakes for this story but If you guys have any please let me know what they are and I'll see what I can do.**

**I love you all. And you guys make what I do awesome!**

**xo**

**Kat**


	33. An Exciting Announcement !

**I AM SO EXCITED RIGHT NOW! WAIT PLEASE READ!**

Okay I'm sorry to tease you all. This isn't a new chapter or a outtake however I am currently working on it. You all gave me some great ideas for little things to do with our little dancers! So those are already in the works!

The reason why I'm posting this is because Leave it, my little story, has been nominated over at TwiFanfictionRecs as a top ten story completed in August! I have no words to describe how thrilled I am! I'm not sure who nominated the story but THANK YOU SO MUCH! Please let me know so that I can thank you personally.

So this is me begging! I haven't done that in a while so i think i can hopefully get a pass here! please please please head over to the site and if you liked the story please vote! You can vote once a day if you want and the voting closes on the first of october!

The Link is here: twifanfictionrecs.()com/2013/09/02/vote-for-your-( )top-ten-completed-fics-august-2013 ...Just take out the ()'s

So please help Leave it All on the Floor be the little story that could! I love you all and thank you for your continued support!


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